Massachusetts Guardsman advances AI innovation through fellowship

The fellowship program was through the Department of the Air Force−MIT Artificial Intelligence Accelerator.
February 23, 2026
U.S. Army

Massachusetts National Guard Senior Airman Matthew Wright recently completed a five-month fellowship at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology through a military collaboration between the Department of the Air Force (DAF) Artificial Intelligence Accelerator and the private research university.

Senior Airman Matthew Wright smiles in front of an MIT AIA Accelerator plaque on a white wall.
U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Matthew Wright, a cyber analyst with the 267th Intelligence Squadron, poses for a photo at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Credit: Army.mil)

The fellowship aims to promote the ethical use of artificial intelligence, or AI, while building a sustainable, end-to-end AI pipeline to help maintain U.S. competitiveness in defense and civilian sectors. The program provides exposure to cutting-edge AI research, customized training, and a career-enhancing experience.

“It was eye-opening to see how much academia is working to solve Department of War problems,” Wright said. “The work being done at MIT Lincoln Laboratory — taking foundational research from the MIT campus and applying it to real-world DAF challenges — is cutting-edge and a key reason the U.S. military remains the most formidable in the world. Programs like this allow talent that might otherwise be confined to a single Air Force Specialty Code [AFSC] to thrive and drive innovation across the Air Force and the DoW.”