Today on The Daily Scoop Podcast, Capt. Brian Erickson was appointed as the U.S. Coast Guard’s first ever chief data officer in 2021. Not long after that, the service added artificial intelligence to his portfolio, making him also the first chief data and AI officer for the Coast Guard. Now Erickson has been called on by the Department of Homeland Security, the parent agency for the Coast Guard, to serve as deputy director for the department’s presidential transition office.

As he makes the switch to that new role, Erickson recently sat down for an exit interview of sorts to share what he accomplished during his time as CDAO for the Coast Guard, his nontraditional path to a career in technology, what’s ahead as he pivots to focus on the 2024 presidential transition, and much more.

CISA leads its first tabletop exercise for AI cybersecurity

And, lawmakers question Microsoft president over China ties, repeated breaches

The VA extends its EHR contract with Oracle Cerner for another 11 months. And, a scathing Senate report on regulating hedge funds’ use of AI.

There’s a pair of new bipartisan Senate bills out this week that looks to foster responsible AI adoption in two key areas: federal acquisition and small businesses.

GSA takes new steps to secure the software acquisition process And, the White House goes against the idea of an Army Drone Corps

The Department of Veterans Affairs, like many federal agencies, is facing a tightening budget landscape. Because of that, resources to support modernization and emerging tech adoption can be hard to come by.

FedScoop reporter Caroline Nihill spoke recently with Charles Worthington, the dual-hatted chief technology officer and chief AI officer for the VA. During their wide-ranging discussion, they touch on the VA’s AI adoption, the constrained budget environment, infrastructure challenges, and much more.

Today on The Daily Scoop Podcast… from The Scoop News Group.

Pentagon CIO John Sherman is leaving government And, Microsoft rolls back a highly criticized AI security tool.

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IRS’s Direct File is on the chopping block in a 2025 appropriations bill and the FBI obtains 7,000 LockBit ransomware decryption keys.

House Republicans want to slash funds for election security.

And, the Army is in line to get a new network chief.

Today on the Daily Scoop Podcast from the Scoop News Group, How the VA is wrestling with digital transformation amid an austere budget environment. And the DIU looks to get another big funding boost in 2025.