In early 2026, Unissant deployed multiple AI capabilities into production at a federal agency, supporting targeting, vetting, analytics, and operational decision support missions. The work cut complex data and threat analysis timelines from 24–48 hours to under 15 minutes.
As chief data officer at Unissant, Vishal Deshpande led the establishment of an enterprise AI Enablement Center that moved AI from isolated pilots into secure, scalable production use across mission operations.
Deshpande, chief data officer of Unissant, is a finalist for the Chief Officer Awards’ Private & Public Artificial Intelligence Executive of the Year. The event takes place live June 2.
Here, he discusses operationalizing enterprise AI, his focus areas going forward, and the advice he gives technology leaders who want to make mission impact.
What key achievements did you have in 2025/2026?
One of my most significant achievements during 2025–2026 was leading the establishment and operationalization of an enterprise AI Enablement Center at a federal agency that helped move AI from isolated pilots into secure, scalable production use across mission operations.
Through this effort, we built an enterprise AI-as-a-Service environment based on our iForgeAISM Accelerator that enables multiple operational applications to leverage a single governed AI architecture. In early 2026, multiple AI capabilities were deployed into production supporting targeting, vetting, analytics, and operational decision support missions.
These deployments delivered measurable impact, including reducing complex data and threat analysis timelines from 24–48 hours to under 15 minutes while significantly improving analyst productivity through AI-driven summarization, intelligent search, and workflow automation. Just as importantly, the initiative established a repeatable framework for secure, responsible, and scalable AI adoption across mission systems.
What are your primary focus areas going forward, and why are those so important to the mission?
Going forward, the focus is on scaling secure, mission-focused AI capabilities to strengthen operational decision-making and mission execution in increasingly complex environments. That includes expanding the use of generative, multimodal, and agentic AI to automate high-volume analytical workflows, accelerate data processing, and improve operational insight across missions.
A major priority is continuing to mature the enterprise AI foundation behind those capabilities, including reusable AI services, MLOps pipelines, governance frameworks, and scalable infrastructure that enable secure and repeatable deployment across mission systems. Equally important is ensuring AI adoption remains trustworthy through strong governance, explainability, continuous monitoring, and alignment with federal AI and cybersecurity requirements.
What is your best career advice for those who want to follow in your footsteps?
Focus on combining strong technical expertise with a mission-first mindset. The most impactful technology leaders are the ones who can translate complex technical capabilities into real operational outcomes.
Develop broad technical depth across cloud, AI, data, security, and software engineering, but also understand how to operationalize technology at enterprise scale through governance, resiliency, and responsible deployment practices.
Just as importantly, stay curious and keep learning. AI and technology are evolving rapidly, and adaptability is critical. Finally, invest in communication and leadership skills. The ability to build trust, explain complex ideas clearly, and help teams succeed is just as important as technical knowledge.
