The United States Space Force has added its name to a list of companies and organizations that ban the use of generative AI and issued a temporary order to its servers (or “custodians”) with personal generative AI accounts at work.
In a memo first reported by Reuters and confirmed to be decrypted by a Space Force official, the Sept. 29 memo by Lisa Costa — the US Space Force's deputy chief of staff for technology and innovation — aims to provide guidance for the responsible use of generative AI. and large language models.
“A strategic pause in the secure integration of generative AI and large-scale linguistic models in the U.S. Space Force has been implemented,” Space Force spokeswoman Major Tanya Downsworth told Decrypt.
Although the memo doesn't mention a specific AI model used by service members, the Space Force is the latest US government body to acknowledge the use of AI tools and try to develop safeguards.
In July, the US House of Representatives' Office of the Chief Executive Officer issued a letter to staff restricting the use of OpenAI's ChatGPT, allowing only the subscription-based premium ChatGPT Plus service — and only under certain circumstances.
“Each guard is responsible for meeting all cybersecurity, data handling and procurement requirements when purchased and used. [generative AI]” Costa wrote in his memoir.
While the department doesn't track the number of guards signed up to use the generative AI tools, Downsworth said it monitors activity on the network. Cyber security and privacy have become concerns for policymakers and corporations. In May, Samsung and Apple banned their employees from using Chat GPT, citing fears of data and intellectual property loss as such programs collect data entered.
The Space Force memo outlines several key points that the crew must follow, including that all AI model tests must be approved by the CTIO. AI accounts purchased for personal use must not be associated or linked to the identity, organization, location or function of the custodian's government. Certain Generative AI tools are not allowed on government tools and government data should not be used in third-party AI models.
With the launch of more sophisticated generative AI chatbots this year, such as ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Anthropologie Cloud, AI has quickly entered the mainstream. Everyone from students and teachers to corporate engineers and developers are using such AI chatbots for quick answers, as well as solutions to complex problems and questions.
Echoing the story from the Black Mirror episode “Joan is Terrible,” the memo told service members not to accept or agree to any generative AI or large language model terms of service (TOS) or end-user license agreements without prior review and verification.
Despite these concerns and the “strategic pause,” the Space Force is optimistic about the future of using artificial intelligence in space and military efforts.
“These technologies will undoubtedly revolutionize our workforce and enhance the ability of Guardsmen to operate quickly in areas such as space domain awareness and command and control,” Downsworth said. “The Space Force CTIO actively participates in the Department of Defense's GenAI Task Force TF-Lima, which is responsible for harnessing the power of these technologies in a responsible and strategic manner.”
