The word "deplorable" signals something shockingly bad. Often used for the truly awful or dreadful, Todd Harbour, with decades of federal data experience, applies it specifically to data quality.
That may be an overstatement, but the description certainly makes the point that today AI is based on fragmented, incomplete data sets. The bright, shiny thing called AI is so much in focus that federal leaders may not pause to ask what data is being used to train today's models.
During the interview, Harbour acknowledges that nobody is seeking perfection here. He has coined the term "mission-ready" to describe the kind of data that should be used for decision-making in the federal government. This would indicate a serious attempt to include siloed and poorly structured data.
In a fascinating digression, he refers to MIT's Project Iceberg. This initiative suggests that AI is only the "tip of the iceberg" of its economic impact. The majority are in the future and beneath the surface.
If that is the case, the case for mission-ready data is even stronger.
Harbour urges immediate initiative-taking measures to confront these challenges and proactively prepare for rapid AI-driven changes to cybersecurity and national defense.
Connect to John Gilroy on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gilroy/
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