Chief AI Officer (CAIO) became a required role in government agencies in 2024, when the Office of Management and Budget released Memorandum M-24-10, Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence. The CAIO was tasked with coordinating their agency’s use of AI, promoting responsible AI innovation, managing risks from AI use, and overseeing implementation of the memo’s governance and risk-management provisions.
Impact of CAIO
Nearly two years after this mandate, all major agencies have a publicly named CAIO; the majority of remaining agencies have someone carrying out the responsibilities of a CAIO, even if they do so in addition to other duties. So, what has this leadership meant for AI adoption across government?
Improved Governance – CAIOs have a responsibility to balance innovation with responsible use, ensuring AI is deployed in compliance with legal requirements and within broader AI governance frameworks. This focus means that governance and risk assessment are applied to AI implementations.
Accelerated yet Strategic Rollouts – Centralizing responsibility for AI builds in oversight to ensure that it is not just implemented for the sake of using new technology. Rather, it must advance agency goals and support the mission. There is still a pressure to use AI but coupled with an emphasis on making sure it is used responsibly.
Focus on Data Quality – An AI solution is only as good as the data it has to work with. CAIOs across government are working with CIOs, CDOs, CTOs, and others to improve data quality through methods like enhanced standards or practices.
Cultural Shift – Having a C-level “voice at the table” for AI ensures that the technology is part of all planning and leadership discussions. CAIOs can work with other C-level leaders to utilize AI in their lines of business—whether those are finance, HR, or mission operations.
CAIOs in Action
CAIOs are currently driving some of the most innovative and sustainable AI use cases.
Department of Treasury – CAIO Paras Malik drafted an AI strategy that positioned departmentally impactful use cases, including financial detection and risk analysis, as areas to focus on. To help advance these types of use, the Department launched a pilot of a secure AI-based chat service to help staffers better learn the practical applications of AI tools across a variety of functions.
Veterans Affairs (VA) – The VA issued an AI adoption strategy that directed the department to look at ways that AI can help streamline workflows, improve clinical care, automate claims processing, and enhance scheduling. Pilots have resulted in AI assistants that can speed up documentation and administrative tasks, freeing up clinician time.
Internal Revenue Service (IRS) – The IRS is utilizing Salesforce Agentforce to introduce AI agents into several divisions, including the Office of Chief Counsel, Taxpayer Advocate Services, and Office of Appeals. These agents can assist with case summarization, document search, and other decision-support functions, reducing manual effort and augmenting human work for speedier service and decisions.
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) – SEC CAIO Valerie Szczepanik leads a task force that is focused on using AI to accelerate innovation and improve operational efficiency within the regulatory environment.
To learn about other ways CAIOs are driving strategic rollouts of AI, check out these resources:
AITalks (April 14, 2026; Washington, DC) – Top government leaders, tech innovators, and industry experts converge to explore the transformative potential of artificial intelligence in the public sector space. During the event, you’ll hear about cutting-edge AI applications revolutionizing government operations from cybersecurity to citizen services, gain practical insights on building a culture of AI adoption and overcoming implementation challenges, and learn how government agencies are mitigating unfolding risks associated with the nascent technology.
The Agentic Labor Modernization Roadmap: Accelerating AI-Driven Transformation for State Labor Agencies (April 15, 2026; webinar) – This webinar introduces the Agentic Labor System, a blueprint for moving from process-bound operations to an intelligent, outcome-driven service model. You’ll see how agent-powered capabilities built on Salesforce, Agentforce, Data Cloud, and the Einstein Trust Layer can re-engineer every major labor function: claims intake, adjudication, fraud prevention, and constituent experience.
AI as the Government Efficiency Enabler: Real Gains or Just Hype? (April 16, 2026; webinar) – Federal agencies face a complex challenge: expand missions, onboard new talent through initiatives like the US Tech Force, and maintain security against escalating threats, all while operating under explicit efficiency mandates and tighter budgets. AI promises to be the solution, but where is it actually delivering results versus just adding to the hype?
The Speed of Trust: Keeping Pace with AI Without Breaking Compliance (April 21, 2026; webinar) – The pace of modern software delivery continues to accelerate, leaving development and security teams balancing speed, stability, and compliance. As workflows become more automated and interconnected—with AI now part of the mix—maintaining visibility and control across the pipeline has never been more critical. Join a candid discussion focused on what works in practice. Explore proven approaches to building a resilient DevSecOps program, aligning teams more effectively, and enabling innovation without introducing unnecessary risk.
Artificial Intelligence Implementation Plan (white paper) – The Marine Corps’ Artificial Intelligence Implementation Plan lays out a roadmap to bring AI into every level of operations, from tactical decision-making to enterprise support.
A Roadmap for Success: Building a Comprehensive AI Adoption Playbook (white paper) – This expanded outline, enriched with real-world examples and best practices, provides a robust framework for building playbooks that serve as practical guides, helping organizations navigate the complexities of AI integration from executive buy-in to equitable implementation and scalable growth.
Reimagining Government Records in the Age of AI (white papers) – Government agencies face growing pressure to manage records while ensuring transparency, compliance, and public access. This trend report explores how intelligent automation, AI, and zero-click processing can reduce manual work, improve accuracy, strengthen auditability, and transform records management into a strategic capability that supports faster, more reliable public services.
Data to Decisions: How Agentic AI Is Transforming Government (white paper) – Though adoption will require attention to security, trust, and oversight, the trend is clear—agentic AI is poised to transform government operations. This report features insights from four experts on how agencies can use agentic AI to reduce manual work, accelerate decisions, and respond more effectively.