for the future by embracing digital transformation . “ Once upon a time in the industrial age , you had to make trade-offs between speed , accuracy , and cost ,” says Kanaan . “ In the digital age , thanks to machine learning , artificial intelligence or any of the number of other automation techniques that are part of digital transformation , you can now do all three at once . For the Department of the Air Force , it ’ s about being more accurate , delivering better logistics , working on humanitarian aid missions while also saving the taxpayer dollars and making sure that we are good stewards of that money .”

Kanaan views the collaboration that has enabled the accelerator as key to its success . “ I can ’ t emphasize enough how grateful we are to MIT , to academia , to industry for being a part of this conversation and to our airmen and workforce for wanting to have the dialogue . What makes us special is that , while we are certain to make mistakes along the way , we hold a dialogue afterwards . It ’ s all about diving in .”

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Title : Director of Operations Location : United States

Industry : Academia and Defense

Captain Michael Kanaan is the Director of Operations to the USAF- MIT Artificial Intelligence Accelerator and the former co-chair of artificial intelligence for the U . S . Air Force . He was named to the Forbes “ 30 Under 30 ” list and received the US Government ’ s 68th Arthur S . Flemming Award ( an honor shared by past recipients Neil Armstrong , Robert Gates , and Elizabeth Dole ). Kanaan is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and previously led a National Intelligence Campaign for Operation Inherent Resolve in Syria and Iraq .

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