Artificial Intelligence
Microsoft brings AI vulnerability-hunting tool to government cloud
Select agencies and partners can preview MDASH, which uses teams of AI agents to find software flaws and test whether attackers could exploit them.
Artificial Intelligence
July’s breakout at OpenAI was far more complex than initially realized
Hundreds of AI agents collaborated to escape their containers, disguising their actions and even sacrificing themselves.
Policy
Tech bills of the week: Ban on AI superintelligence; AI oversight at the Pentagon; and more
Among this week’s bills is a sweeping measure to address the rapid pace of advanced AI development and deployment by banning work on superintelligent AI and temporarily pausing advanced AI development.
Ideas
The quantum security deadline just got harder to ignore
COMMENTARY | Quantum security is a national defense priority, not a future planning exercise.
Emerging Tech
Funding the future: A look back on federal tech investment
For 250 years the government has been at the center of making the next big technology happen.
Artificial Intelligence
Agencies now have to pay to use USAi
A GSA official familiar with the matter said the fee “is based on an agency's expected workload, approximated by agency size.”
Policy
Democrats urge consumer product agency halt public health modernization project
The lawmakers say the project is particularly concerning as the Trump administration has a “broader pattern” of “seeking unprecedented access to Americans’ private data.”
People
Former CISA employee pleads guilty to defrauding government with secret contractor jobs
Prosecutors say Richeline Fung secretly held contractor jobs tied to six agencies and claimed up to 33-hour workdays while working full time for the federal cyber agency.
Policy
House BIOTech caucus is weighing IP security and AI-enabled biotech policy
Lawmakers on the caucus say they won’t push any new legislation forward before the end of the year, but they spotlit intellectual property protection and AI-enabled gene synthesis as concerns.
Digital Government
14 organizations are looking to join federal electronic health record program
The office tasked with helping agencies deploy the federal EHR is looking to move toward cloud infrastructure, enhance interoperability and scale an artificial intelligence technology.
Modernization
House panel subpoenas Oracle heads over VA health record overhaul’s ballooning costs
The House Veterans’ Affairs Committee voted 19-0 to subpoena Oracle Chairman and Co-founder Larry Ellison and Oracle CEO Mike Sicilia after VA announced plans to boost its contract with the tech giant by $17 billion.
Artificial Intelligence
NSF launches a new AI research operations center
The new center will help support the National Artificial Intelligence Research Resource’s transition from a pilot into a permanent part of the agency.
Cybersecurity
Senator asks NSA to update Americans about VPN spying risks
A congressional analysis found foreign spies could trace users by comparing encrypted traffic entering and leaving a VPN server, according to the lawmaker’s office.
Exclusive
Cybersecurity
Pentagon cyber strategy expected as soon as next week, sources say
Officials have previewed a blueprint emphasizing offensive operations, AI adoption and closer industry ties as the military reorganizes its cyber forces.
Acquisition
Microsoft Fabric integration platform launches for select federal customers
The platform is now available on a preview basis for Government Community Cloud High environments and is designed to support the needs of agentic AI tools.
Artificial Intelligence
Dozens of current, former officials see at least a 10% chance humans lose control of AI
Nearly half of respondents in the survey released Wednesday serve or have served in the Defense Department, an agency locked in fierce discourse over military use of AI systems.
Policy
Stopgap funding bill temporarily extends key cyber info-sharing law
The short-term package pushes the sunset date for the bedrock cyber legislation to Dec. 11, in addition to setting extensions for the Technology Modernization Fund and National Cybersecurity Protection System.
Policy
Shutdown threat possibly lifted as House passes stopgap spending bill
The measure gives Congress more time to reach a deal on a comprehensive spending package for fiscal 2027.
Acquisition
Industry offers government a playbook for handling OneGov expirations
Some deals offering federal agencies significantly discounted access to software are set to expire at the end of the month.
Digital Government