Original broadcast 10/15/25
At the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), artificial intelligence isn’t a buzzword — it’s an operational necessity. As a combat support agency managing global supply chains, DLA is using AI to enhance readiness, forecast needs, and empower its workforce.
Chief Information Officer Adarryl Roberts explains that the agency’s journey began long before recent executive orders on AI. “We created our AI and analytics Center of Excellence to bring focus, governance, and accountability to how we use these technologies,” he says. “It’s not about chasing tools — it’s about improving outcomes.”
That approach starts with people. Roberts made workforce readiness the first goal of DLA’s AI strategy, ensuring that employees understand AI not as a threat, but as a partner. “We call them our digital assistants,” he says. “AI isn’t replacing people — it’s multiplying their effectiveness.”
At the same time, Jonathan Alboum, Federal CTO at ServiceNow and former CIO at USDA, notes that DLA’s model highlights a universal lesson: AI must align with mission outcomes. “Buying an AI product doesn’t create value,” Alboum says. “You have to start with a problem worth solving. When people see how AI helps them work smarter and faster, adoption follows.”
Together, Roberts and Alboum underscore that AI in government is a leadership challenge as much as a technical one. It requires clarity of purpose, governance, and cross-agency collaboration. “The best ideas don’t always come from the CIO’s office,” Alboum says. “They come from program teams who understand where AI can have the biggest impact.”
At DLA, that impact spans from procurement to supply chain forecasting. The agency uses AI to predict material demand, optimize inventory, and even manage product disposal at the end of its lifecycle. “We look at the whole ecosystem,” Roberts explains. “The goal is to deliver the right materials to the warfighter faster and more efficiently.”
For both leaders, AI’s future in government depends on trust — not only in the technology but in the people who use it. “We have to democratize AI,” Roberts says. “When everyone has the training and the authority to innovate, that’s when transformation happens.”
Key Takeaways
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Tie AI directly to mission outcomes to create measurable value.
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Invest in workforce training and empowerment to sustain progress.
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Democratize AI to unlock innovation across all levels of government.
This interview was part of Intelligent Government: Smart Strategies to Accelerate AI Innovation presented by ServiceNow. Click here to watch the entire program.