The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has appointed Michael Boyce as the new leader of its AI Corps, a move aimed at boosting the agency’s capacity to integrate Artificial Intelligence in addressing significant national security challenges. The AI Corps, which draws inspiration from the esteemed U.S. Digital Service established by the White House, is designed to deploy expert teams to tackle the agency’s most pressing mission requirements, such as fentanyl interdiction, the fight against online child sexual abuse, and disaster damage assessments.
Michael Boyce, previously a senior policy analyst at the White House Office of Management and Budget, has been a key figure in shaping federal AI and FedRAMP policies. His contributions include work on the federal use of generative AI policy and significant involvement in drafting President Joe Biden’s 2023 AI Executive Order. Before his tenure at the White House, Boyce also held the position of chief of innovation at the Refugee, Asylum, and International Operations Directorate of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and was a digital service expert at the U.S. Digital Service, the model for the AI Corps initiative.
In February, DHS launched a recruitment drive to expand the AI Corps team as part of its broader strategy to leverage cutting-edge technology for enhanced operational effectiveness. Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas emphasized the strategic importance of this initiative during its launch, noting that “the DHS AI Corps will enable the Department of Homeland Security to keep up with the pace of innovation as we enhance our work combating fentanyl traffickers, rescuing victims of child sexual exploitation, countering cyberattacks, assessing disaster damage, and much more.”
Expressing his enthusiasm about his new role, Boyce stated, “Having worked on AI policy and the recent executive order, my colleagues know that I was often a voice advocating for the criticality of implementation to accompany strong policy. That is why I was so honored to be offered to lead the largest AI team (that I’m aware of) created in response to the National AI Talent Surge launched by that EO. I’m thrilled that we are taking a ‘digital service’ approach modeled on the U.S. Digital Service and related teams, and I am appreciative of many folks for their vision here.”
With Boyce’s leadership, the DHS AI Corps is poised to significantly impact how the agency utilizes artificial intelligence to meet its diverse and critical mission goals.
