CXO Briefing
CBP wants blockchain capability for its trade portal modernization
The law enforcement agency is conducting market research into distributed ledger technology that could be included in its efforts to update a trade processing portal.
Modernization
Labor Department shifts unemployment modernization plans after Congress slashes funding
The department is also facing questions from Republican lawmakers about how it’s using unemployment-focused funding.
Artificial Intelligence
Biden: New AI agreement will 'shepherd' responsible innovation, but legislation still needed
President Joe Biden made remarks following the announcement of new private sector AI accords, but members of Congress from both parties agreed with the need to develop regulatory law.
Digital Government
DOD’s data integration experiments help to identify benefits and barriers to new tech
“We want to fail,” the deputy chief of the Pentagon’s AI office said about a series of experiments supporting the Defense Department’s JADC2 efforts.
Policy
The Senate is on a bipartisan glidepath toward avoiding a shutdown, Schumer says
The way forward is still complicated by the House, which is pushing partisan spending bills along party lines.
Ideas
First contact with aliens could end in colonization and genocide if we don’t learn from history
COMMENTARY | SETI has been listening for markers that may indicate alien life – but is doing so ethical?
Artificial Intelligence
7 tech companies agree to White House’s new trustworthy AI commitments
While the Biden administration is working to engage in voluntary commitments with Silicon Valley, a planned executive order will codify next steps in securing the emerging technology.
Cybersecurity
FTC, HHS warn of potential privacy and security risks embedded in online health sites
The agencies noted hospitals and telehealth providers could be exposing sensitive patient health information through online tracking tools like Meta Pixel and Google Analytics.
Acquisition
VA’s work with outside vendors draws lawmaker scrutiny over conflicts of interest
Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Va., said VA’s claim it “had no occasions” where it identified an actual or potential conflict of interest with its contractors was “not believable.”
Cybersecurity
Justice to merge 2 offices in step with cyber implementation plan
The agency has been granted new and important roles under the Biden administration’s plan to safeguard U.S. digital networks.
Ideas
Eliminating bias in AI may be impossible – a computer scientist explains how to tame it instead
COMMENTARY | Blindly eliminating biases from AI systems can have unintended consequences.
Artificial Intelligence
Tech legislation to watch in Congress ahead of summer recess
Among the bills considered is a new proposal from Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., to require agencies to designate chief AI officers, a position that currently exists at only a handful of agencies.
Artificial Intelligence
House Dem sounds alarm about AI in political messaging
Rep. Yvette Clarke says 2024 “will be the first election cycle where AI-generated ads will be an integral part of how we do campaign advertising.”
Cybersecurity
US power grid faces escalating cyber threats, infrastructure experts warn
The power grid is experiencing heightened threats from foreign adversaries and domestic extremist groups that can pose devastating consequences for the nation’s supply of electricity, experts told a House subcommittee on Tuesday.
Cybersecurity
White House seeks public insight to harmonize ‘inconsistent’ cyber regulations
The Biden administration wants to use public feedback to shape baseline cybersecurity regulations that function across industries and sectors.
Emerging Tech
Enhanced cybersecurity a top reason for agencies embracing emerging tech, study says
General Dynamics Information Technology’s survey of 425 federal employees found that 65% of federal agencies were “moderately to extremely ready to embrace emerging technologies.”
Ideas
FTC probe of OpenAI: Consumer protection is the opening salvo of US AI regulation
COMMENTARY | The FTC probe of ChatGPT maker OpenAI aligns with concerns that members of Congress have expressed.
Acquisition
Federal agencies set small business contracting record even as opportunities decrease
The total number of federal contracting dollars geared for small businesses hit an all-time high in fiscal 2022, but the actual number of contracts set aside for those companies continued a nearly decade-long decline.
Modernization
Pentagon needs to do more to harness the electromagnetic spectrum, lawmakers say
A bipartisan group of lawmakers who co-chair the Congressional Electromagnetic Warfare Working Group said the Defense Department needs to take more of an active role in enhancing its spectrum use to achieve electromagnetic superiority.
Artificial Intelligence