Agreement on Artificial Intelligence Established between AFWERX and Arize AI

Updates

August 13, 2025

BERKELEY, Calif. Arize AI, an artificial intelligence (AI) engineering company, secured a $1.2 million agreement with AFWERX to initiate a 12-month R&D project focused on enhancing AI engineering capabilities for large-language models (LLMs) to tackle urgent challenges faced by the U.S. Air Force. 

According to the announcement, Arize AI will offer an R&D AI engineering platform designed to bolster U.S. national defense by expediting the deployment of robust generative AI applications, including agentic AI and RAG-based implementations [RAG refers to “retrieval-augmented generation,” which adds context for LLMs].

NIPRGPT is a nonclassified prototype large language model (LLM) approved at Impact Level 5 (IL5), created by the Air Force Research Laboratory for the Department of the Air Force’s Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) tasks. It delivers a ChatGPT-like experience with chat history retention, facilitating critical evaluations of the feasibility and security of deploying Generative AI on the Non-classified Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNet). NIPRGPT offers crucial insights into technical issues, security considerations, and operational advantages, aiding the Air Force in the secure and ethical integration of commercial AI solutions.

The Arize AX R&D initiative is set to enhance NIPRGPT by automating prompt engineering and online assessment within CAC/NIPRNet requirements, using metrics related to quality, safety, efficiency, and compliance, allowing users and leadership to observe effective practices. Feedback from users and key telemetry metrics will guide future policy, procurement, and investment strategies throughout the Air Force.

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