Emerging Tech

USDA’s Bot Program Saves More Than 150,000 Hours Per Year

The agency reached $5.3 million in cost avoidance while 27 cohorts of employees graduated from its reskilling program, Agriculture officials say.

Artificial Intelligence

DHS Researching Public Perception of Facial Recognition and AI Use 

The Department of Homeland Security is collecting privacy concerns as critics fight to ban facial recognition outright. 

Artificial Intelligence

Lawmakers Push DOD to Share its Data to Help U.S. Make AI Gains

New legislation to pilot easy-access data libraries could be included in the fiscal 2022 NDAA.

Ideas

Modernizing Procurement Could Help Federal Agencies Increase Efficiency 

Implementing contract lifecycle management system automates procurement systems to allow for faster, simpler and more accurate procurement. 

Artificial Intelligence

Defense AI Efforts Hinge on Strong Data Environments

JAIC Director Lt. Gen. Michael Groen spoke about the department’s current efforts to implement artificial intelligence and incorporate more sophisticated software into DOD’s daily operations.

Digital Government

Republican Senators Question the Security of Collecting Health Information from Airline Passengers

A group of Republican senators raised concerns over the CDC’s new order requesting select data from airline passengers to track the spread of COVID-19.

Modernization

Two-Thirds of Staff at VA Medical Center Considering Quitting After One Year With New EHR

A survey of staff at Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center shows plummeting morale tied directly to the Cerner Millennium electronic health record platform.

Artificial Intelligence

EEOC Launches Initiative to Ensure AI Doesn’t Exacerbate Civil Rights Issues

The new program looks to educate employers and employees about how algorithms are used in hiring and other employment decisions.

Ideas

College Cost Calculators Aren’t Precise, but They Could Easily Be Made Better

College expenses determined by net price calculators can vary by an average of $5,700.

Ideas

How a National Health Care Database Could Address Mission-Critical Health Data Gaps

It’s time to consider a cloud-based national health care database to make better public health decisions and prepare for any future health crises.

Policy

White House Reveals Nation’s First Gender Equity Strategy, Aiming to Close the Pay Gap and Increase Abortion Access

The Biden administration’s Gender Policy Council has released a strategy that requires each agency to figure out how to implement measures to reach key goals and makes long-awaited reforms to data collection.

Artificial Intelligence

Bill Would Block Contractors from Selling Data Harvested with AI Tools to Third Parties

A bipartisan proposal would also clarify that the government ultimately owns the data collected by federal contractors and their artificial intelligence systems. 

Emerging Tech

GAO Study Stresses Need for Steady Funding of Quantum Tech

A report highlights the risks and benefits of federal investment in quantum computing and other technologies, but stresses collaboration and steady funding. 

Ideas

How Government Is Failing Public Servants

A new book argues that federal and state governments need to articulate a vision for training their workers for problem solving in the 21st century.