According to a congressional watchdog, major government agencies in the US have plans to utilize artificial intelligence (AI), but most of these plans are still in the planning stage. The Government Accountability Office surveyed 23 agencies and found over 1,200 current and future AI use cases. The Department of Homeland Security, for example, plans to use machine learning to analyze camera and radar data to identify border activities. NASA and the Department of Commerce reported the highest number of AI use cases, while three agencies did not report any use cases for AI. The lack of governmentwide guidance on the acquisition and use of AI technologies called for in a 2020 law is a major challenge.
The White House has issued executive orders to encourage federal adoption of AI technology, and Congress has approved the AI in Government Act to direct the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to publish guidance for the acquisition of AI. However, until this guidance is issued, federal agencies are likely to develop inconsistent policies on the use of AI. OMB has released a draft memo and is actively working to fulfill its statutory obligations.
The GAO report also revealed that about 30% of active use cases were considered sensitive and the agencies declined to provide specific details. The watchdog made 35 recommendations in the report, including urging agencies to comply fully with AI reporting and implementation requirements. Overall, the lack of governmentwide guidance and inconsistent policies on the use of AI pose challenges to the effective and beneficial use of AI technologies in government agencies.