As the deadline to reach target-level zero-trust compliance approaches, the Defense Department (DOD) is seeking proposals on how artificial intelligence and machine learning can strengthen and streamline the zero-trust assessment process.

According to a Request for Information (RFI) filed by DoD, these technologies could help address the Pentagon’s limited capacity to validate initial compliance and support continuous, ongoing assessments at enterprise scale.

“The DoW seeks industry perspectives on leveraging automation and AI to accelerate and scale DoW-led ZT Purple Team (a collaborative security assessment approach where the red team, blue team, and system owners work together) evaluations of ZT environments on UNCLASSIFIED and SECRET networks,” the RFI states.

DoD wants to know where AI fits best, how it can simulate attacks, identify attack paths, improve detection analysis, and generate assessment reports, as well as key technical and operational challenges.

It is also asking about data requirements, barriers to adoption, implementation friction in a DoD environment, and emerging AI and automation trends that could shape future zero trust Purple Team assessments.