Ideas
Vendor lock-in finds a new home in AI, and a contract clause won’t fix it
COMMENTARY | GSA’s new AI clause targets vendor lock-in, but enforcement remains a challenge.
Artificial Intelligence
‘No question’ data centers will be considered critical infrastructure, top House intel Dem says
Rep. Jim Himes, D-Conn., said the AI-focused facilities are going to be even more critical than their traditional data center counterparts because “so much more functionality is going to rely on their health and existence.”
Artificial Intelligence
State Department orders ‘super intelligence’ wording across all official communications
An internal cable from the agency extends Trump’s terminology change to emails, speeches, websites and official titles, while preserving legal language and historical records.
Cybersecurity
Democrats warn tech firms of election security ‘backsliding’ ahead of midterms
Senior intelligence and election oversight lawmakers want social media companies and AI developers to strengthen safeguards against false voting information, foreign influence campaigns and deceptive AI content.
Policy
Permitting reform ‘single most important thing we could do for national security,’ senator says
Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa., said China’s energy production “is really something we have to compete on, and right now we can't do that without permitting.”
Digital Government
Report: How to make government websites AI friendly
As residents’ use of AI to find government information grows, a new report from the Beeck Center offers recommendations for officials to ensure their content doesn’t get excluded from outputs.
Ideas
The Fed's 35-year open data bet is a model for the AI era
COMMENTARY | Half of FRED's friends are now computers. The St. Louis Fed's response offers a playbook for every agency that publishes data.
People
Former Transportation CIO most proud of creating ‘momentum for change’
Pavan Pidugu resigned his position as the Transportation Department’s chief information officer on Sept. 4.
Artificial Intelligence
Everybody hated Socrates
A neuroscientist built a model that scores zero on every benchmark. It made more of its users smarter than anything else she tested.
Ideas
Building the foundation for autonomous operations
COMMENTARY | In an autonomous enterprise, people and intelligent agents work together inside connected processes.
Emerging Tech
Energy debuts new Genesis Mission, quantum computing initiatives
The department announced $159 million in new phase II Genesis Mission project awards, $96 million for early-career researchers and a new graduate fellowship program, along with an effort to advance the development of fault-tolerant quantum computers.
Modernization
TMF invests $83.4M in 4 AI-enabled projects
One project will replace a legacy payroll system serving roughly a third of the federal workforce with an AI-enabled cloud platform.
People
Spy chief Jay Clayton takes on White House’s AI portfolio
A new task force led by the director of national intelligence will have 120 days to analyze and report on AI’s risks and opportunities, amid growing global calls for AI safety measures.
Acquisition
GSA memo to set AI-specific acquisition rules
The language includes changes some industry groups have requested through a public comment period and will go into effect Oct. 19.
Acquisition
Google extends Gemini OneGov deal into November
All three OneGov partnerships that were set to expire at the end of September are continuing under either an extension or a new agreement.
Digital Government
White House launches AI-powered ‘America.gov’ digital front door
The president signed an executive order at the event requiring agencies to integrate many of their services with the new website.
Digital Government
CMS eyes new technologies to reduce improper payments and fraud
Technology could reduce documentation-related improper payments and detect fraud in real-time, an agency official said.
Cybersecurity
AI scanning tools found security gaps at rail operator and hospitals, Wiz says
Researchers discovered access to rail administration systems, a hospital alert channel and sensitive records in a new effort aimed at organizations with limited cyber resources.
Artificial Intelligence
GenAI.mil saw more than 2 million users in one week, top DOD official says
Defense Department Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer Cameron Stanley also said that “unilateral disarmament is the wrong approach” when it comes to calls for a slowdown in AI development.
Emerging Tech