Can AI Beat the Pentagon’s Bureaucracy?

Government AI adoption is bottlenecked by institutional and incentive design, not model capability, says Accenture Federal's Chief AI Officer.

• U-2 parable: Berntsen frames the U-2's Cuba overflights as proof that new sensor tech mattered less than the acquisition reform, new intel institutions (NPIC/NGA), and decision-making pipelines built around it — the lesson for AI adoption today.
• Business systems lag mission systems: CJADC2-style battlefield AI is progressing, but core logistics/personnel/finance systems remain weak — e.g. supply sergeants only update status weekly by policy, blocking real-time data needs.

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