DoD RAI Implementation Pathway: what the 64 lines of effort ask industry

High-intent query: what do the 64 lines of effort in the DoD RAI Strategy and Implementation Pathway ask a contractor to do? The public pages name the count and the toolkit. They do not publish a contractor scorecard for all 64 lines.

Companions: the RAI Strategy explainer, CDAO RAI Toolkit vs Tradewinds AIA, and the DoD RAI procurement kit.

The five principles the pathway operationalizes

The Department officially adopted a series of ethical principles for the use of AI in February 2020. They apply to how Department personnel develop, deploy, and use AI capabilities: Responsible, Equitable, Traceable, Reliable and Governable. Traceable includes transparent and auditable methodologies, data sources, and design procedures and documentation. Reliable includes safety, security and effectiveness subject to testing and assurance. Governable includes the ability to detect and avoid unintended consequences, and to disengage or deactivate.

What the public pages say about the 64 lines

The pathway was signed in June 2022 by Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks. CDAO’s toolkit release calls it a key deliverable of the DoD RAI Strategy & Implementation Pathway and says the pathway spells out 64 lines of effort for operationalizing the Department of Defense’s AI Ethical Principles, including developing technical tools and guidance. We have not found a public page that lists all 64 lines as a contractor checklist.

What industry is pointed at

The public implementation artifact is the toolkit publicly released on 14 November 2023 as a voluntary process that identifies, tracks, and improves alignment of AI projects to RAI best practices and the DoD AI Ethical Principles. The live Tradewinds page titles it the AI Assurance (AIA) Toolkit. CDAO said it offers guidance and an RAI standard to current and future DoD industry partners.

Directory listings: CDAO AI Assurance (AIA) Toolkit, CDAO JATIC, CDAO T&E of AI models. The RAI Toolkit alignment kit is the public teaser.

Weapon-system autonomy is Directive 3000.09. CUI cybersecurity is CMMC. Service-level pages are on Army, Navy and Air Force AI acquisition.

What this is not

We have not found a source that makes completing all 64 lines of effort a contractor certification. Check the contract for what the toolkit means on a given program.