Tag Archives: DC

Meet the Chief AI Officer

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The executive order (EO) on artificial intelligence, issued in October of 2023, calls on agencies to designate a chief artificial intelligence officer (CAIO) responsible for coordinating AI use, promoting AI innovation, and handling AI-related risk management within their agency. Efforts are underway to codify this mandate, with bills introduced in the House and Senate that would turn the EO recommendation into law.

In the year since the mandate and in advance of legislated requirements, agencies have worked to not only fill but define this new CAIO role. In some instances, CAIO duties have been added to the job description for an existing executive--typically the chief data officer or chief technology officer--but in others, a stand-alone position has been created to meet the agency's AI needs. Continue reading →

Remote Work Finds a Home in Government

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In the early days of the pandemic, remote work seemed like a short-term arrangement, but as days turned into months, working remotely, in some capacity, became a reality for over two-thirds of the federal workforce. Today, federal employees work in an office more frequently than they do anywhere else, with telework employees spending 61.2% of their work hours at traditional federal work sites, but this means there is still a considerable amount of government work being done outside office walls.

Adapting to this new reality means taking a close look at policies and procedures to ensure that work arrangements meet the needs of employees as well as the requirements of agency missions. Continue reading →

GovEvents Presents the Government AI Event Top 10

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AI conference

Improvements in citizen experience, employee experience, government business efficiency, and cybersecurity have been key goals of the Biden administration. At the same time, as agencies have worked to meet mandates and goals for these focus areas, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a mainstream technology to automate manual tasks and provide new insights to decision-makers. Applying AI as a way to meet administration goals has been a key discussion point in meeting rooms, the media, and government-industry events.

Earlier this year, GovEvents highlighted a number of events uniquely positioned to provide the right access to insights from technologists, implementers, and executives on the integration of AI into government systems and processes. The opportunities for AI-related education remain strong, with nearly 680 AI events listed on GovEvents.com this year. Continue reading →

Closing the Government Workforce Gap with Innovation in Hiring and Training

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Younger workers are not replacing the aging and rapidly retiring federal government workforce at an equal rate. Additionally, the work of government has changed, requiring specialized skills in cybersecurity and Artificial Intelligence (AI) not just in technology jobs but in careers across all departments. There are simply not enough candidates to fill these positions (40,000 in cybersecurity alone) utilizing standard hiring practices. Given this reality, hiring officials are getting innovative in how they fill technical roles.

Utilizing Existing Programs

The Biden administration has worked to modernize internships, apprenticeships, and fellowships to attract younger, less experienced workers to build their resumes within government. The pay for participants in these programs has been raised considerably, making them more attractive and practical to a wider base of people. An apprenticeship sprint for cybersecurity resulted in 7,000 apprentices being hired. These programs are also being used to fast-track development efforts, giving participants real assignments to develop solutions that can be put into use in government today. Continue reading →