EdgeRunner AI to Pilot Generative Chatbot on US Air Force’s Private Network

The US Air Force Research Laboratory has partnered with Washington-based startup EdgeRunner AI to test a generative artificial intelligence chatbot for the military’s nonclassified internal network.

The project builds on a December 2024 cooperative research and development agreement tasking the company with fine-tuning an AI-enabled prototype conversation system for air force use.

Once complete, the chatbot will be plugged into the military’s private network, the Non-Secure Internet Protocol Router Network or “NIPERNET,” where it will help manage and relay sensitive but unclassified information.

Read the full story on our new publication, Military AI: ‘Expert in a Bottle’: USAF Experiments With On-Device Generative Chatbot