Tech
White House weighs reining in contractors’ control over how agencies use AI
Draft policy language under review would assert the government’s authority to decide how tech it buys gets used, as officials debate guardrails and vendor influence.
Agencies eye agentic AI but readiness questions linger
A new survey of federal IT leaders shows growing interest in more autonomous AI tools as pilot activity accelerates, even as governance, data and oversight gaps persist across government.
Agency leader says AI is helping resource-strained workforce identify more fraud
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services official also said the Trump administration’s efforts to combat fraud in government are enabling her to “push the needle” with using the technology.
How State finally got online passport renewal to stick
After a failed first rollout, the department reworked how it builds and deploys tech, bringing frontline staff into the process and scaling a system that’s now handling millions of renewals.
Growing agency talent is critical for modernization, Transportation’s IT head says
“When there is support and excitement, then you can do magic,” Pavan Pidugu, the Transportation Department’s chief digital and information officer, said about engaging personnel across the agency to drive meaningful IT modernization.
One CEO’s push to speed up how the Pentagon adopts technology
Meagan Metzger saw barriers in government contracting as problems she could find a path to solve.
GSA procurement chief leads FAR overhaul
Jeffrey Koses has spent decades inside GSA’s acquisition system, moving from entry-level furniture purchasing to policy leadership and now overseeing a sweeping rewrite of the Federal Acquisition Regulation aimed at simplifying procurement and increasing flexibility for contracting officers.
Federal workforce trauma is creating a stumbling block for AI adoption
COMMENTARY | Following massive workforce reductions — and a $165.6 billion hit to the U.S. economy — federal managers are struggling to integrate AI as low engagement collapses across agencies.
CBP seeks AI solutions to keep pace with rising volumes of border scans
A new sources sought notice seeks artificial intelligence tools to help agents sift through tens of thousands of X-ray images at ports of entry.
White House is drafting plans to permit federal Anthropic use
The move suggests the Trump administration is easing its stance on the AI company, which faced a Pentagon supply chain risk designation and phaseout directive.
FDA to pilot real-time clinical drug trials through cloud and AI
The first-of-its-kind pilot could lead to speedier regulatory approval of medical drugs and devices and potentially reduce “20, 30, 40% of overall clinical trial time,” according to FDA Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer Jeremy Walsh.
Treasury missed security controls in giving DOGE system access, GAO finds
The finding is among the first oversight reports Congress’ watchdog has released about the controversial cost-cutting team.
NIST is giving fingerprint examiners better tools for a messy job
COMMENTARY | A newly annotated fingerprint dataset combined with open-source software could help forensic examiners work more consistently, train more effectively and sort through evidence faster.
IRS lacks transparent plans to leverage tech in the face of staffing cuts, GAO and employees say
Agency leaders are “shoving AI at us,” one IRS employee said, despite the fact that “they don’t have the right tools for us yet.”
GSA No. 2 talks ‘million hours challenge,’ scaling agency AI efforts
GSA Deputy Administrator Michael Lynch last week offered a comprehensive look at the agency’s plans for key acquisition and shared services programs and new internal efforts aimed at automating work.
Agencies report over 3,000 AI use cases in 2025
The number of reported use cases more than doubled from 2024, revealing the federal government’s continued appetite to acquire advanced artificial intelligence for its workflows.
AI is helping VA speed up claims processing, but Dems worry about errors
“Speed does not equal success,” Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-N.Y., said about VA’s use of automation and AI to process veterans’ benefits claims.
How public records requests could help ‘fight AI with AI’
Agencies are burdened with growing numbers of requests and more records to manage and parse through. Emerging technology offers a way forward for beleaguered staff.
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.”
CIA employees will get AI 'coworkers'—and eventually run teams of AI agents, deputy says
Deputy Director Michael Ellis said the spy agency recently used AI to generate an intelligence report for the first time.
