With no big deployments of GenAI capabilities coming soon in the DoD, one of the best efforts that could be done in the meantime is prompt engineering…
The DoD has plenty of internship programs, active service volunteer efforts, and myriad of other methods to bring together a team of personnel to pursue prompt engineering on any number of existing platforms. In fact, this has already been done by DAF's CAITO last year in a small-scale effort to produce the first version of a prompt engineering handbook. The core issue is it could and should be an enduring effort focused on personnel training through direct experience. What better way to train the force than through direct experience of rotating participants. Any platform or model can be used, any data or use case could be utilized, and anyone could be a participant. Prompts are the ubiquitous and common tool all models utilize for function, and they can be continuously developed, tested, and cataloged for the evolution of capability across the force.
Nothing frustrates me more than a gratuitous waste of time and opportunity. The services have been sitting on their hands waiting for GenAI capabilities, with little to show for their patience. This doesn’t have to be the case, regardless of the policy or acquisition situation. There can be plenty of training done in the meantime, and prompt engineering is the best logical extension of that training pursuit to further build expertise while the technical capability deployment slowly unfolds. Current DoD and service level policy even allows for this kind of effort, even with commercial systems, as long as you avoid certain data types and use cases.
Some officer out there is looking to make a name for themselves. Someone needs that important OPR bullet to look good for their next board. Someone in a position to do something, is looking for anything they can accomplish despite the red tape and limitations with GenAI…prompt engineering training and development is it. Think out of the box and do the hard things to bring people together for a common goal. Don’t wait for the headquarters to throw a Hackathon, don’t wait for the CDAO to figure it out, build your group of volunteers and just start something. You might be amazed what you can accomplish, and who ends up joining your efforts along the way.
