“Being a disruptor gives you an edge. You are defining your destination. You are setting the pace.” said CEO of Booz Hamilton, Horacio Rozanski and clearly BAH is now on track to be the new disruptors with AI. Numbers speak for themselves. All thanks to AI, the firm has attributed approximately $600 million in revenue from its recently concluded fiscal year to AI initiatives, representing around 5.6% of its sales for the 12-month period ending March 31. But thejourney for them is worth a mention.
U-2 reconnaissance aircraft
Booz Allen Hamilton integrated AI with military systems by deploying an AI algorithm on a Lockheed Martin U-2 Dragon reconnaissance aircraft. This groundbreaking flight on December 15, supported by the 9th Reconnaissance Wing’s U-2 Federal Laboratory at Beale AFB, demonstrated the AI’s ability to navigate the U-2’s radar and perform in-flight tasks typically managed by the pilot.
Richard Johnson, Booz Allen’s executive vice president, emphasized the importance of this achievement, stating that “the threats facing our national security are increasingly sophisticated and it will be critical to move new innovations from the lab to the real world to combat them,” and highlighting that the December 15 flight was “an important step, demonstrating the ability of AI to work in coordination with highly skilled operators to propel complex missions forward.” Booz Allen developed and deployed the AI, transitioning from lab to operational status in just under 40 days.
AI Valley Of Death
Booz Allen Hamilton’s spinout Modzy is tackling the “AI valley of death,” where a staggering 90% of machine learning models fail to reach production. Led by CEO Josh Sullivan, this AI powerhouse is revolutionizing the industry with its ModelOps and MLOps platform, enabling companies to deploy AI at lightning speed and massive scale. Despite its modest team of 17, Modzy has forged partnerships with tech giants like Nvidia and Microsoft, offering flexible deployment options that are turning heads in manufacturing, energy, and even the Department of Defense. Former EVP Frank DiGiammarino highlighted their commitment to incubating and scaling mission-critical technologies. With claims of accelerating AI R&D by 10% and enhancing supply chain predictions, Modzy isn’t just bridging the AI gap – it’s building a superhighway to the future of artificial intelligence. Could this be the game-changer that finally unleashes AI’s full potential across industries?
Introducing Modzy, the #AI app store. Learn more via @FortuneMagazine https://t.co/KCgHETcTKR
— Booz Allen Hamilton (@BoozAllen) November 7, 2019
The Trusted AI Leader For The Nation’s Problems
Recently, Booz Allen Hamilton revealed an enhanced range of artificial intelligence capabilities, solidifying its standing as the leading supplier of AI services to the federal government. The company provided sophisticated AI stacks including Generative AI, Responsible AI, Adversarial AI, Cyber AI, and Vision AI, all backed by the aiSSEMBLE factory for scalable and secure deployment. Govwin from Deltek recognised the company as the leading provider in this industry.
John Larson, Executive Vice President and leader of Booz Allen’s AI practice, emphasized, “Booz Allen remains steps ahead in today’s AI environment with our newly launched AI stacks,” while Susan Penfield, Former Chief Technology Officer, highlighted the firm’s dedication to impactful technology, stating, “We are proudly and proficiently continuing to make AI impact for our clients, integrating best-in-breed commercial technology to accelerate mission success.”
AI Initiatives and Partnerships
1- High school students in the Washington, D.C., region can enroll in a free AI bootcamp provided by the Mark Cuban Foundation and Booz Allen Hamilton. This camp offers an introductory curriculum on artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI to students in grades 9 through 12, with no prior understanding of computer science required. The workshop covers the principles of artificial intelligence, its ethical ramifications, and real-world applications, such as using ChatGPT and Microsoft’s cloud capabilities. Director of AI Investment at Booz Allen Jessica Reinhardt stated, “We believe in accessible AI education,” emphasising the company’s dedication to the future generation of AI experts as well as community support. Furthermore, Booz Allen’s release of aiSEMBLE, an open-source AI engineering tool that helps federal AI teams scale their maturity in development, therefore improving the speed, quality, and precision of their mission-critical AI systems.
2- Booz Allen Hamilton and Amazon Web Services (AWS) partner to deliver scalable cloud solutions for high-performance missions, supporting critical operations for civilian and defense agencies. As an AWS Premier Services Partner with over 2,000 AWS-certified employees, Booz Allen excels in government, DevOps, machine learning, and security. Their exclusive access to AWS data centers underscores their leading security capabilities.
3- Cloudflare and Booz Allen Hamilton teamed up to offer expedited Under Attack as a Service (UAaaS) with 30-Day Rapid Response DDoS Mitigation and continuous protection. This collaboration allowed Booz Allen’s Global Commercial clients to quickly access Cloudflare’s incident response during cyber attacks. “The escalating threat of distributed denial-of-service attacks requires an expedited and effective mitigation solution. Working together, Cloudflare and Booz Allen will be able to guide organizations under attack to mitigation with protection and expertise when they are needed most.”said Brendan Rooney, Booz Allen Senior Vice President, Global Commercial Incident Response.
4- Credo AI’s partnership with Booz Allen Hamilton aimed to enhance AI governance and risk management amid rapid technological advancement. This collaboration integrated Credo AI’s platform into Booz Allen’s services, ensuring compliance with federal regulations and responsible AI use. John Larson, Executive Vice President and Head of Booz Allen’s AI Practice, emphasized, “We’re excited about this partnership with Credo AI and how it will empower organizations to implement governance and guardrails, ensuring transparency, trust, and regulatory compliance.”
5- NVIDIA and Booz Allen Hamilton have expanded their partnership to launch an AI-enabled, GPU-accelerated cybersecurity platform. This solution, powered by NVIDIA’s GPUs and Morpheus framework, enhances incident response and threat detection. Justin Boitano from NVIDIA and Matt Tarascio from Booz Allen highlighted the platform’s role in advancing cybersecurity and delivering scalable, high-performance solutions.
AI Ready Program
Being the leading provider of AI services to the federal government, BAH launched a groundbreaking initiative to address the persistent gender gap in tech roles. The company’s AI Ready program, rolled out in October 2023, offered a comprehensive approach to AI training that went beyond traditional coding and mathematics.
Yvette Wolfe, Senior Lead Data Scientist responsible for designing AI and data science training and president of Booz Allen’s Women in AI group, emphasized the program’s inclusivity: “We can take anybody from any field, any prior skills, and make them into an AI adoption specialist [or an] AI innovation leader.”
The program featured a diverse 52-course library and utilized AI-powered assessments to create personalized learning pathways. In a recent interview Wolfe was quoted as saying that she works intentionally with men to make sure that they are actively partnering with their female coworkers in the AI space.
First GenAI LLM in Space Aboard ISS National Lab
Using Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Spaceborne Computer-2, Booz Allen Hamilton successfully deployed and operated a generative AI large language model (LLM) aboard the International Space Station National Lab. Similar to the Wright brothers’ initial flights, this accomplishment required four successful tests carried out within the command window. The LLM was created in just eight weeks with the goal of enabling remote data production and retrieval, possibly removing the requirement for astronauts to employ generative AI while connected to Earth-based internet.
The importance of on-orbit AI was highlighted by Dan Wald, lead AI solutions architect for space applications at Booz Allen, who said, “When milliseconds matter, on-orbit AI becomes a must-have.his patent-pending proof-of-concept demonstrates Booz Allen’s ability to deploy state-of-the-art generative AI techniques, such as retrieval-augmented generation, by compressing and optimizing a containerized solution to run reliably in resource-constrained computing environments at the edge. If we can deploy generative AI in space, we can deploy it anywhere.”
Recognizing the transformative potential of generative AI, Booz Allen has significantly expanded its focus in this area. Generative AI, which includes technologies like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, allows for the creation of new content and solutions by learning from existing data. Booz Allen has been instrumental in helping federal agencies harness the power of generative AI to enhance communications, data analysis, and policy interpretation.
Ethical and Responsible AI
Booz Allen has been awarded among World’s Most Ethical Companies. EVP and Chief Legal Officer Nancy Laben said, “We hold ourselves to the highest standards of corporate governance, integrity, and compliance, and we are delighted by the recognition.” BAH is also now part of the Responsible AI Institute. Booz Allen Hamilton recognizes the imperative of Responsible AI to ensure trustworthy AI systems for addressing the nation’s toughest challenges. Guided by their “REGS Formula” – Responsible AI = Ethics + Governance + Safety – the firm leads pioneering efforts across all Responsible AI functions to ensure AI is measurably responsible. This commitment is rooted in Booz Allen’s people-first culture and core values. By joining the Responsible AI Institute, Booz Allen accelerates its mission to deliver responsible AI to partners and clients. Geoff Schaefer, Head of Responsible AI at Booz Allen, stated, “Their insights and innovation will be critical as we, collectively, work to ensure that we protect the promise of AI. To that end, we could not be more proud to join them as a member.” The initiative currently includes 15 timeless controls, with built-in flexibility to evolve alongside technological advancements and user feedback.
Space+AI Summit
Leaders in government, business, and academia gathered at the Helix Centre for Innovation for the Space+AI Summit to talk about integrating AI into space missions. The summit included presentations on turning space data into useful insights, automating and virtualizing ground systems, and using AI technologies for space domain awareness. Experts, such as Judi Dotson of Booz Allen, stressed the importance of artificial intelligence (AI) in resolving urgent space issues and enhancing mission effectiveness.
Booz Allen Hamilton is not just keeping pace—it’s setting the tempo.The tech gap is widening between private and public sectors, Booz Allen’s comprehensive approach to AI talent development stands out. From partnering with organizations like aiEDU and The Mark Cuban Foundation to nurture AI skills in students, to offering robust internal programs like the Tech Excellence Program and Technical Experience Groups, Booz Allen is building a formidable AI ecosystem. The company’s vision goes beyond mere adaptation; it aims to make every employee AI-ready, fostering a workforce that can harness AI’s potential to transform missions and drive innovation.
Horacio Rozanski said, “AI is becoming a part of everything, but it’s not the end of anything. Its true potential is unleashed when paired with other technologies to amplify capabilities , identify anomalies and accelerate transformational outcomes.” With the vision BAH has set for themselves with AI it’s not long since we see BAH to be the new leader in AI or should we say disruptor.
