Digital Government

IRS direct file participants will have to use ID.me for identity verification

The agency still isn't ready to field the government-provided Login.gov for digital access to taxpayer services.

Artificial Intelligence

Experts warn that OMB’s AI guidance could slow federal adoption of the emerging tech

Commentators say proposed definitions of “rights-impacting” and “safety-impacting” use cases could wind up saddling low-impact AI programs up with high-impact controls.

Defense

The Army wants smaller command posts. But first it needs great software

What’s missing is the ability to rapidly configure existing gear and networks to a given mission and environment.

Artificial Intelligence

Senate's top tech official greenlights research use of generative AI

The chief information officer for the Senate Sergeant at Arms evaluated three popular AI platforms and offered members and staff instruction on how to leverage them safely.

Artificial Intelligence

AI is a rising priority for federal chief data officers

Nearly all CDOs surveyed by the Data Foundation reported thinking about adopting the emerging technology.

Emerging Tech

How agencies will leverage virtual reality, generative AI over the next 2 years 

A new Deloitte report forecasts that “spatial computing and the industrial metaverse” will have growing applications for state and federal organizations and said that “investigating these technologies can help agencies get a leg up on the future.”

Ideas

Digital inaccessibility: Blind and low-vision people have powerful technology but still face barriers to the digital world

COMMENTARY | Technologies often hit roadblocks because the information they are designed to work with – documents, websites and software programs – don’t work with them.

Modernization

State Department restores passport processing to pre-pandemic levels

A hiring surge and mandatory overtime has brought passport processing down to its lowest level in years.

Artificial Intelligence

Who is an AI worker? The Pentagon needs a better definition, GAO says

The Pentagon “can't fully identify who is part of its AI workforce or which positions require personnel with AI skills,” according to a new congressional watchdog report.

Artificial Intelligence

House lawmakers press for transparency in NIST’s new AI grant funding

A bipartisan cadre of lawmakers is asking for details on the funding methods and oversight of NIST’s new Artificial Intelligence Safety Institute.

Digital Government

GSA launches text message service for government programs in four localities and states

Norfolk, Virginia has already been using the service to remind people about Medicaid recertification.

Cybersecurity

NDAA provision looks to close cybersecurity gaps in nuclear weapons systems

The requirement included in the fiscal year 2024 defense policy bill follows a 2022 GAO report that found the National Nuclear Security Administration did not fully implement “foundational cybersecurity risk practices.”

Emerging Tech

Government’s quantum efforts are shifting to a near-term strategy

As the National Quantum Initiative Act is set to advance to a House vote, one federal official described the technology as “the next thing” on the horizon.

Defense

The Army’s network is changing. But it still ‘needs work’

The service’s modernization chief said future war will be a conflict of systems where command and control will be central.

Artificial Intelligence

Priming the workforce is key to future AI efforts, federal IT leaders say

One agency tech leader is urging IT workers inside government and out to "get into the shallow end of the AI swimming pool" and experiment with the new tools.

Ideas

When authoritative sources hold onto bad data

COMMENTARY | A legal scholar explains the need for government databases to retract information.

Digital Government

GSA is at a ‘critical juncture’ to salvage faith in TTS, agency watchdog warns

GSA’s inspector general says that it’s “trying to prevent the next Login.gov” — referencing a bombshell oversight report on GSA’s single sign-on service issued earlier this year.

Defense

The military’s zero-trust plans are about to face a big test

An INDOPACOM exercise will test the military’s data-centric security strategy.

Cybersecurity

NIST issues guidance on a mathematical approach to data privacy

The draft document provides a system for adopting a differential privacy framework, and the agency is currently seeking feedback to ensure quality.