ORLANDO, Fla. — An AI-powered induction training assistant designed to help new Space Force members navigate the early stages of their service has won the U.S. Space Force's annual AI Challenge, senior officials announced last week, highlighting the tool as an example of how service members can apply artificial intelligence to real-life internal problems.
The award-winning work, known as Polaris Onboarding Agent, is a digital guide that provides interactive, conversational answers to common questions new parents face. The tool covers administrative requirements, training pathways, policies, benefits, Space Force-specific terminology, and tailors responses based on the user's role, timing, and status in the onboarding process.
Rather than relying on static checklists, PDFs, or informal handoffs between offices, Polaris uses an AI assistant model to guide users through tasks and decisions as they arise. Senior executives described this approach as a low-risk way to increase efficiency while reducing disruption for new employees.
“Automation has to be a part of everything we do,” Air Force Secretary Troy Meinck told Space Force guardians at the Space Power Conference, where the results of the challenge were highlighted.
The Space Force AI Challenge is an annual competition designed to accelerate the development and deployment of AI tools that address specific problems facing the service. According to Space Force officials, 29 teams participated in the 2025 Challenge.
Meink called on the service to build AI literacy within the force, rather than relying primarily on contractors for AI-driven solutions.
“I love our support contractors. They're phenomenal, right? And we have a lot of them supporting us in this area,” Meink said. “But you have to be an expert,” he added. “If you don't understand how large-scale language models work, you should start experimenting with GenAI,” he said, referring to the recently introduced Department of Defense AI Platform.
“You need to be able to generate automated applications for what you want to do,” Meink added. “You can’t just sign a contract…you need that skill set to do anything.”
Polaris Onboarding Agent was developed by Order66, a software factory within Space Systems Command. Software factories across the Department of Defense are designed to use government and military developers to quickly build and implement digital tools, often focusing on internal processes rather than operational systems.
The AI Challenge and Polaris projects align with broader Department of Defense efforts to operationalize artificial intelligence throughout the military, particularly in unclassified management and decision support roles.
The effort includes GenAI.mil, a secure enterprise platform designed to provide military and civilian employees with access to commercially generated AI tools, such as Google's Gemini for Government. The platform aims to incorporate generative AI into daily workflows while maintaining security controls for unclassified and managed unclassified information.
Defense officials have emphasized that early AI deployment efforts are focused on improving internal efficiency and readiness, while also allowing the department to gain experience with the technology before applying it to high-risk operational missions.
