Fed Gov Today

Agencies across government are looking at use cases for artificial intelligence projects. Leaders say they’re trying to avoid forcing technology onto their challenges. Use cases for AI is only one of several topics you can learn about on the new Fed Gov Today special show “AI In Depth.” This highlight of that show features Dimitri Kusnezov, Under Secretary for Science and Technology at the Department of Homeland Security, and Dominic Delmolino, Vice President for Worldwide Public Sector Technology & Innovation at AWS.

The Defense Department’s artificial intelligence efforts are coalescing around the DoD Data Strategy. Every part of the department is executing on that data strategy. Dan Folliard is the Chief Digital and AI Officer at U.S. Special Operations Command. In part two of this conversation, I ask him how much of the structure he’s building parallels the CDAO office at the Pentagon. Part one of this conversation is here.

ServiceNow “Modern Logistics & Maintenance” event, October 25, 2023

Appian Government event, November 29, 2023

Three agencies have As on the new FITARA scorecard. And eight agencies have better grades on this scorecard than they did on the last one. David Powner, Executive Director of the Center for Data-Driven Policy at MITRE and former Director of IT Issues at the Government Accountability Office, reviews the new grades and changes to the scorecard; compares those changes to the ones an ACT-IAC all-star team (including Dave) has proposed; and what he thinks should come next for the scorecard.

Four components make up an “artificial intelligence accountability framework” from the Government Accountability Office. Those four components include data; governance; performance; and monitoring. Taka Ariga, Chief Data Scientist and Director of the Innovation Lab at GAO, tells you how his team identified those components, and how end users should use the framework.

The Defense Department’s artificial intelligence efforts are coalescing around the DoD Data Strategy. Every part of the department is executing on that data strategy. Dan Folliard, Chief Digital and AI Officer at U.S. Special Operations Command, details what he’s doing at SOCOM, and how he’s doing it; and how SOCOM is a microcosm of the broader Department of Defense.

ServiceNow “Modern Logistics & Maintenance” event, October 25, 2023

Appian Government event, November 29, 2023

The continuing resolution Congress passed, and President Biden signed, puts the next shutdown deadline just before Thanksgiving. The current CR runs out November 17th. Margaret Weichert, former Deputy Director for Management at the Office of Management and Budget, and Gordon Bitko, Executive Vice President for Public Sector at the Information Technology Industry Council and former Chief Information Officer at the FBI, discuss what federal government leaders should do between now and November 17th in case they’re in this spot again.

The tax return backlog at the Internal Revenue Service cost more than $3 billion in interest taxpayers got because their refunds were late. That payment is just one consequence of the IRS’s transition to digital records. Bryce Kisler, Assistant Inspector General for Audit in the Office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, explains what those roadblocks are, and how the agency can fix them.

ServiceNow “Modern Logistics & Maintenance” event, October 25, 2023

Appian Government event, November 29, 2023

This edition of Fed Gov Today is sponsored by Leidos.

Today, the second episode of conversations from the Department of Veterans Affairs National Artificial Intelligence Institute’s International Summit for AI in Health Care, September 6-8 in Washington. First episode from Tuesday

The VA says it’s working toward a concept of trustworthy AI throughout its health care system. At the VA AI Summit, Dr. Michael Kim, Chief of Staff of the NAII, tells me it’s important that both health providers and patients trust the AI applications those providers use.

VA leaders at the Summit, and through this interview series, have used the term “trustworthy AI” to describe what they’re seeking, and what they want their end users and patients to understand about the technology. VA is also exploring the digital twins concept that A-I will enable. Narasa Susarla, Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Lead, and Chief Architect and Chief Engineer of the Health Group, at Leidos, explains the intersection between trustworthy AI and digital twins, and how digital twins will help you do your job better.

Experts in health care, and across the technology spectrum, say generative AI has huge potential. They also talk about the risks that it may bring. At the VA AI Summit, Dr. Shareef Elnahal, Undersecretary for Health at the VA, tells me he believes avoiding generative A-I solutions would be a huge mistake.

Photo: sign from the National Artificial Intelligence Institute’s International Summit for AI in Health Care (Fed Gov Today)

This edition of Fed Gov Today is sponsored by Leidos.

Today and Thursday, conversations from the Department of Veterans Affairs National Artificial Intelligence Institute’s International Summit for AI in Health Care, September 6-8 in Washington.

The VA is optimistic about moving AI solutions from prototype and testing to deployment. Part of that transition is engaging end users in that deployment. Evan Carey is Deputy Director for AI Networks at the National Artificial Intelligence Institute. At the VA AI Summit, he tells me moving from testing to implementation isn’t a new challenge.

One theme throughout the sessions at the VA AI Summit is the potential to address burnout among healthcare providers. You’ll hear more about that issue on today’s show, and Thursday’s podcast too. Ning Yu, Chief Natural Language Processing Research Scientist at Leidos, explains how AI can help with burnout and a number of other challenges health care providers and systems face.

Making health care provision more efficient, more equitable, and more accessible are three goals the VA has for using AI in its healthcare system. Dr. Andrew Borkowski is Founding Chief of the Artificial Intelligence Service at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa, FL; and Facility Lead for the NAII. At the VA A-I Summit, he tells me how AI can help the VA achieve those goals.

A 10-year roadmap for agency digitization is out from the Office of Management and Budget. The guidance is called “Delivering a Digital-First Public Experience.” Suzette Kent, CEO of Kent Advisory Services and former Federal Chief Information Officer, explains what’s in it, and what it means for agencies and the government as a whole.

“Data as a strategic asset” is not a new term in the federal government. But the kinds of data agencies are tracking, collating, and using to make decisions is growing - fast. Dorothy Aronson, Chief Information Officer and Chief Data Officer at the National Science Foundation, describes how the nature of data management is changing at NSF, and how her technology infrastructure and workforce are changing with it.

The Thrift Savings Plan has set a new record. More people are bringing their money into the TSP than ever before. Kim Weaver, Director of External Affairs at the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, tells you how that happened, and why. She also explains the impact of the potential shutdown on TSP participants, and how to learn more about the shutdown’s impact on the TSP.

A government shutdown wouldn’t just stop work for the two point one million federal employees of the government. It would stop work on almost all the contracts that almost all the contractors that work for the government work on. Soraya Correa, Executive Director of the Contract Management Institute at the National Contract Management Association, and former Chief Procurement Officer at the Department of Homeland Security, tells you what has to happen if a shutdown impacts government acquisition.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency will drive toward five strategic objectives. Those objectives (enhance operational readiness; attract and develop your workforce; build resiliency by strengthening partnerships; strengthen stewardship of GEOINT resources; accelerate technology acquisition and integration) will push the agency to what its Director, Vice Admiral Frank Whitworth, calls “a new mission and end state.” VADM Whitworth tells you what’s coming to meet each of those five objectives.

New updates to the President’s Management Agenda include bringing more customer experience professionals into government, faster. OMB’s Loren Dejonge Schulman told you about them on Fed Gov Today TV recently. Chris Mihm, Adjunct Professor of Public Administration at the Maxwell School at Syracuse University and former Managing Director for Strategic Issues at the Government Accountability Office, explains what’s new - and what’s missing - in the updates to the PMA.

Early fiscal year 2024 is the target date for a reorganization at the General Services Administration. GSA will restructure the Federal Acquisition Service. Alan Thomas, Chief Solutions Officer at Leadership Connect and former Commissioner of the Federal Acquisition Service at GSA, tells you how the reorg will work, and what it will mean for GSA and its employees; GSA customers; and industry. He also details new bipartisan legislation to reauthorize the Technology Modernization Fund.

150 contracting officers around the world will get extra training in supply chain risk management. That extra training will focus on the cyber supply chain. Michael Derrios, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Acquisition and Senior Procurement Executive at the State Department, tells you what those COs will learn, and how it will help them do their jobs better - and make the State Department more secure.

A new initiative from the Defense Department will try to counter China with large quantities of autonomous systems. Breaking Defense reports Deputy Secretary of Defense Katherine Hicks says the Replicator project will “leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many.” Deborah Lee James, Chair of the Defense Business Board and 23rd Secretary of the Air Force, explains how services can lean in quickly on Replicator, without replicating work they’ve already done.

A new initiative from the Defense Department will try to counter China with large quantities of autonomous systems. Breaking Defense reports Deputy Secretary of Defense Kath Hicks says the Replicator project will “leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many.” Dov Zakheim, senior adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and former Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller), writes about Replicator at themessenger.com. He tells you what would make Replicator work, and what could hold it back.

Federal agencies are getting some help in hiring customer experience personnel. It’s part of the latest update to the President’s Management Agenda from the Office of Management and Budget. Lauren DeJonge Schulman, Associate Director for Performance and Personnel Management at OMB, details the new options, and new milestones, in the PMA.

The Homeland Security Department is 450,000 square feet smaller now in the National Capital Region than it was at the beginning of the fiscal year. That number came from Randolph Alles, Deputy Under Secretary for Management and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Management at the Department of Homeland Security, at a House Oversight & Accountability subcommittee hearing last week. Dan Mathews, President of Mathews Associates and former commissioner of the Public Buildings Service at the General Services Administration, explains what agencies can do about their footprints, and how to think strategically - and long-term - about the federal real estate portfolio.

The Merchant Marine service is dealing with some of the same people problems the rest of government is dealing with. RADM Ann Phillips (USN ret.) is Administrator of the Maritime Administration at the Transportation Department. On the latest edition of Fed Gov Today TV, she explains why the people problem is her biggest issue right now.

Several federal agencies are increasing the number of days each pay period employees have to come into the office. The White House is asking agencies to “aggressively execute” back-to-office strategies this fall. President Biden’s Chief of Staff, former Deputy Director for Management at OMB Jeffrey Zients calls in-person work “critical to the well-being of our teams.” The House Oversight and Accountability Government Operations and the Federal Workforce subcommittee called four agency leaders to testify today about their telework posture. The four leaders are Karen Marrongelle, Chief Operating Officer of the National Science Foundation; Robert Gibbs, Associate Administrator for the Mission Support Directorate at NASA; Dan Dorman, the Executive Director for Operation at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission; and Randolph Alles, Deputy Under Secretary for Management and Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Under Secretary for Management at the Department of Homeland Security. In these highlights of the hearing from today, you’ll hear questions for the witnesses from Representative Gary Palmer (R-AL) and Representative Gerry Connolly (D-VA).