Christopher Kirchhoff

 Head of Applied AI Strategy and Global Security

AI is at an incandescent moment of invention with few parallels in history. Like a filament flickering in Edison&rsquo;s laboratory or a pulsing neutron detector in Fermi&rsquo;s reactor, we are glimpsing the early sparks of a revolution. I joined Scale to help drive this revolution forward.&nbsp;&nbsp;
I come to Scale from a career in public service focused on technology, having worked for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on the National Security Council, and helped create the Pentagon&rsquo;s Silicon Valley office, Defense Innovation Unit (DIU). How DIU&rsquo;s investment in commercial technology catalyzed a $230 billion dollar defense-tech ecosystem is told in&nbsp;<a href="https://a.co/d/gTX6rRs">Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley are Transforming the Future of War</a>. My work at Scale will be a continuation of helping deploy technology in strategically decisive ways.
Applied AI
Scale is at the forefront of applied AI &ndash; making models more sophisticated and building systems that deploy them in many domains. This begins with our foundational work preparing high-quality, mission-specific data that is the lifeblood of any AI system. Scale also builds and deploys powerful applications, from driving computer vision on the battlefield to developing the next generation of AI agents, all within Test and Evaluation (T&amp;E) frameworks necessary to validate AI for high-stakes environments.&nbsp;
Scale Public Sector
Agentic AI is the most exciting breakthrough Scale is pioneering. As a world leader in Agentic AI, Scale is putting AI agents to work that operate autonomously and are tireless in their ability to perform complex tasks. Agentic AI is the connective tissue between superintelligence and the applications we use at home and work. When paired with humans in the loop, there seem to be few limits to what they can achieve when properly architected.
Scale&rsquo;s public sector team is developing agent-based applications that help people work better and faster in two areas. Agentic Government will transform the business processes that power our government institutions, while&nbsp;<a href="https://scale.com/agentic-warfare">Agentic Warfare</a> will embed agents across our military and intelligence community.&nbsp;&nbsp;
A striking example of the technology Scale is building is called <a href="https://scale.com/blog/thunderforge-ai-for-american-defense">Thunderforge</a>, a first of its kind AI-command system. Scale&rsquo;s work on Thunderforge is the most important project in national security today.&nbsp;
Thunderforge is exploring how multiple digital agents, running parallel analysis linked to new analytic tools and modeling and simulation repositories, can accelerate planning and operational decision-making at the theater level. It is being developed in collaboration with INDOPACOM and EUCOM, where the most consequential geopolitical events are taking place. Thunderforge has the potential to usher in a new era of AI-powered, data-driven warfare. The stakes could not be higher. As Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine <a href="https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/4206750/caine-calls-on-industry-focus-on-fighting-the-next-war-not-fighting-the-last-war/">said</a>, &ldquo;Our systems need to be built for the war of the future, not the war of the past &mdash; and this means using technology and innovation at the tactical edge."&nbsp;
It&rsquo;s an exciting moment for the company. Scale is doubling down on its public sector work &ndash; hiring new talent and investing resources to deliver pathbreaking applications. Because of Scale&rsquo;s commitment to its public sector work, I foresee a future in which Scale&rsquo;s applications become the global standard, helping power interoperable command, control, and planning for U.S. forces and our allies. The strategic fabric these applications will enable could wrap the world in a new level of security. If you find this vision inspiring, come build it at Scale!

Christopher Kirchhoff joins Scale to advance applied AI, agentic government, and next-gen defense innovation

Christopher Kirchhoff

Why I Joined Scale – Christopher Kirchhoff