The administration's Genesis Mission aims to build an integrated ecosystem that connects supercomputers, AI systems and emerging quantum capabilities, calling on the Energy Department and its 17 national laboratories.

Argonne National Laboratory's broad multidisciplinary research portfolio positions it to harness AI to accelerate scientific discovery, Associate Laboratory Director for the Computing, Environment and Life Sciences (CELS) Directorate Rick Stevens told GovCIO Media & Research.

Stevens compared the urgency of the Genesis Mission to the Manhattan Project, citing intensifying global competition and rapid advances in AI. He also highlighted Argonne initiatives such as Synapse, which uses AI to accelerate imaging analysis, and Quarks to Cosmos, an effort to integrate large physics datasets to enable new scientific insights.

NOAA is integrating GPS and new gravity data to improve accuracy of its National Spatial Reference System. Guest: Galen Scott, NGS Constituent Manager, NOAA Description:

As agencies increasingly rely on data to drive precise decision-making, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Geodetic Survey is modernizing the National Spatial Reference System to account for shifts in the Earth caused by tectonic plate movement. It hadn't been updated in 40 years.

Speaking at the Esri FedGIS Conference in Washington, D.C., NOAA National Geodetic Survey Constituent Manager Galen Scott said the updated system integrates GPS technology, enabling more efficient methods to locate survey markers and collect field data.

Scott said the modernized NSRS will also incorporate new gravity data through a geoid model, improving the accuracy of surface elevation measurements compared with legacy models. He added that NSRS data serves as foundational infrastructure for agencies supporting urban planning, infrastructure development and emergency response efforts.

Tiziana Barrow has built a career around cybersecurity and human risk, leading product marketing across some of the industry's most specialized domains like threat intelligence, OT/ICS security, risk quantification and supply chain risk. She's now channeling that experience into Safer Shift, a personal endeavor to build stories that bridge the physical and digital world with a bias toward changing behavior. She discussed why the most powerful tool for reducing human risk isn't technology, it's narrative — stories that make digital safety habits intuitive, accessible and human. In an AI-driven world, protecting people can't just be an enterprise priority. It has to be a personal one.

Col. Arlon Smith, director of Project Dynamis, discussed how the Marine Corps is working to rapidly deliver artificial intelligence capabilities to the tactical edge. He explained how Project Dynamis is leveraging cutting-edge commercial AI to help warfighters analyze and share data faster in increasingly complex battlefields filled with autonomous systems. Smith also highlighted the project's focus on joint interoperability and real-world testing with military partners. The effort aims to quickly turn emerging technologies into operational capabilities that give Marines a decisive advantage.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is modernizing its IT infrastructure to improve efficiency, security and access for patients and providers. Since taking the role in May, Wade Zarriello, director of infrastructure and user services, has led efforts to consolidate platforms, optimize shared services and cut costs — exceeding CMS's fiscal year 2025 savings goal by $750 million.

Zarriello also discussed how the agency is implementing a zero trust cybersecurity framework and leveraging AI tools to strengthen data protection and operational reliability. He highlighted CMS's use of GSA OneGov agreements with AWS, Oracle and Salesforce to drive cost savings, improve platform consolidation and support hybrid cloud initiatives.

The Zscaler Public Sector Summit, Robert Roser, CISO, CDO and director of cybersecurity at Idaho National Laboratory, discussed the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape facing government and critical infrastructure. He joined GovCIO Media & Research at the event to explain how malicious actors are increasingly using AI to launch more sophisticated phishing campaigns and ransomware attacks while also lowering the barrier to entry for less-skilled hackers.

He also shared how his team is strengthening defenses through zero trust principles, stronger identity protections and new guardrails for AI use. As cyber threats grow more complex, Roser emphasized that cybersecurity is not just an IT issue — it is a responsibility shared across the entire organization.

The Office of Personnel Management launched its Federal Workforce Data website in January, replacing FedScope, the 20-year-old repository for federal employment data.

The new platform provides greater transparency into how the federal workforce operates, featuring monthly updates and interactive tables that offer deeper insight into workforce demographics.

OPM Director Scott Kupor told GovCIO Media & Resesarch how the revamped site improves user experience and expands visibility into civilian agency operations. Kupor also explained how FWD could serve as a foundation for future consolidation of the federal government's disparate human resources systems.

The Department of the Navy is using AI across a range of mission areas. In the intelligence domain, the service is moving AI beyond experimental phases and integrating trustworthy AI into all warfighting functions, Christopher Page, deputy director of OPNAV's Intelligence Division, said on AI GovCast.

Page said data quality depends on agreed-upon terms for modeling adversary and friendly forces. For AI implementation to be effective, he said, the Navy must adhere to a common taxonomy and lexicon, noting that "a cruiser needs to be a cruiser, a rowboat needs to be a rowboat."

He added that the ultimate goal of the Navy's digital transformation is a hybrid fleet. The future force will feature expanded AI use across the department, autonomous systems that require less bandwidth, and integrated operations between manned and unmanned platforms.

AI is at the center of the Marine Corps' digital transformation efforts, from edge communication to cybersecurity. Marine Corps AI Lead Maj. Christopher Clark said AI it must be adapted to the physical and technical constraints of vehicles and equipment used on the front lines.

To tackle these constraints, the Marine Corps is organizing an AI workshop this March to bring together fleet-level problem solvers and industry innovators to identify and experiment with high-value solutions. Using Corps-wide talent, Clark said, USMC can find the best solutions to pressing problems. He added that recent research from a Marine Corps AI fellowship demonstrated that generative AI can perform this task with a 50% increase in speed, allowing networks to be established much faster than through traditional methods.

Clark also discussed the ways USMC is using AI to augment Marines talent, enhance data readiness for mission and reduce the fatigue associated administrative and intelligence work.

The War Department is modernizing its acquisition ecosystem to meet the demands of modern warfare. Designed for speed, the updated approach redefines how the Pentagon manages risk, incorporates feedback and iterates on capability delivery.

Speaking at AFCEA/USNI WEST in San Diego, California, Louis Koplin, the Navy's acting program executive officer for PEO Digital, said the Department of the Navy is focused on delivering capabilities early and often, using technology investment horizons to guide innovation. Iterative development, he said, relies on direct warfighter feedback and embedding operators within development teams.

Koplin added that industry input is shaping lessons learned across the department to address current challenges. Commercial and dual-use technologies, he said, are transforming how the Navy acquires and deploys new capabilities.