Artificial Intelligence
World needs to ‘get ready’ for more powerful AI, Anthropic co-founder says
The company’s powerful Mythos, unveiled earlier this month, won’t be the only supercharged AI system to hit the market, Jack Clark said.
Modernization
VA resumes EHR rollouts at four Michigan medical sites
The Department of Veterans Affairs previously paused most deployments of its modernized electronic health record system in April 2023 following a series of performance and technical issues.
People
OPM seeks cybersecurity talent to join Tech Force
"Through Tech Force, we’re recruiting highly skilled cybersecurity professionals to take on real challenges and strengthen the government’s defenses where it matters most,” OPM director Scott Kupor said in a statement.
Artificial Intelligence
Agencies are missing a step to share information on better AI acquisition, GAO finds
A new oversight report that sampled four federal agencies underscored several hindrances to effective AI adoption, including a lack of policies for collecting lessons learned in the technology’s acquisition.
Cybersecurity
FCC selects ioXt Alliance to lead cyber labeling program
The prior lead administrator withdrew from the Biden-era Cyber Trust Mark initiative after the launch of a Trump administration probe into its alleged China ties.
Digital Government
Appeals court removes limits on DOGE access to SSA data despite ‘alarming’ revelations
The Friday decision follows a January court filing in which the government conceded that DOGE associates may have improperly accessed sensitive data at the agency.
Policy
DHS intelligence office restructuring would still keep it under ODNI oversight
A proposed FY27 overhaul would still leave DHS’s Office of Intelligence and Analysis answerable to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, despite questions about its oversight.
Policy
Tech bills of the week: Boosting export controls; AI-focused workforce development; and more
During Congress’s final week in recess, new legislation and amendments that were proposed run the tech policy gamut.
Ideas
Data is a strategic asset and a strategic vulnerability
COMMENTARY | Treating data a strategic asset and defending it accordingly isn't simply a matter of technology policy; it's a fundamental component of national resilience.
Cybersecurity
US push to counter hackers draws industry deeper into offensive cyber debate
The White House is expanding the market for offensive cyber capabilities — and drawing more of the private sector into that ecosystem — even as policy boundaries around their use remain unclear.
Policy
Judge renews procedures for 702 surveillance program that could soon lapse
The program still requires reauthorization from Congress, and the judge notably took issue with how spy agencies use filtering tools to sift through raw data collected by the program.
Cybersecurity
Treasury debuts effort to share cyber threat intel with crypto firms
The move signals that Treasury is increasingly treating cryptocurrency firms as part of the nation’s core financial infrastructure, making them a prime target for hackers.
Ideas
When the storm hits: What Hurricane Katrina still teaches federal leaders about continuity of operations
COMMENTARY | Make continuity planning an operational discipline rather than a compliance exercise.
Artificial Intelligence
CIA plans for ‘AI coworkers’, deputy director says
The spy agency managed a few hundred AI projects last year, and recently used AI to generate an intelligence report for the first time, deputy director Michael Ellis said.
Artificial Intelligence
OpenAI national security lead endorses ‘appropriate human judgment’ in AI
Sasha Baker, OpenAI’s head of national security policy, said a “workforce transformation” is needed to make sure that humans are making the final calls to keep people and systems safe.
Digital Government
Treasury is creating a database with pandemic aid recipients’ sensitive information
Critics say the scope established in the agency’s systems of record notice “is an astonishing and dramatic departure from prior Treasury practice.”
Modernization
HHS replaces COBOL-based payroll system
The deployment of the new cloud-based system came after eight months of collaboration between HHS, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Finance and Accounting Service.
Cybersecurity
Anthropic’s Glasswing initiative raises questions for US cyber operations
Intelligence officials and industry are weighing how Claude Mythos Preview could reshape hacking and cyberdefense. The company has also briefed senior officials on the AI model it says has already uncovered thousands of cyber vulnerabilities.
Modernization
As aircraft losses mount, Pentagon wants a software fix to see through the fog of war
The Defense Department is looking to update how older planes see each other and absorb data.
Policy