Tech
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.
VA’s FY27 budget proposal seeks funding for additional AI adoption
VA’s decision intelligence and automation activities would see a 10.9% increase over FY26 enacted levels, with the growth “driven primarily by the AI Infrastructure solution.”
Agencies could be required to move loan systems to 1 platform under bipartisan bill
COMMENTARY | A push to centralize federal lending would force agencies to rethink contracts, staffing and control over their systems.
The IRS wants to shrink its workforce by nearly 4,000 — and use technology to make up the difference
“Without modernization, the IRS would be unable to sustain performance with a reduced headcount,” the budget document says.
Cuts hit CISA, NIST and IRS in Trump’s FY27 budget
The proposal shifts funding away from cybersecurity, standards and tax enforcement while boosting AI, quantum research and VA modernization.
Old-school spycraft could make a comeback as AI undermines trust
An article in the CIA’s Studies in Intelligence journal argues that artificial intelligence may erode confidence in certain electronic communications and further revive centuries-old human intelligence techniques.
Social Security delays launch of centralized claims system amid staff anxiety
The agency is postponing the rollout of new, national systems the same month they were set to be deployed. It was still working out specifics for how it would move claims processing to a national setup.
IRS’ move away from paper checks has delayed tax refunds for nearly 1.5 million Americans
Other government agencies are also moving away from paper checks. The Social Security Administration has warned claimants still receiving their benefits via paper checks that their benefits could be disrupted.
Pro-Iran hackers say they breached the FBI director’s email and posted contents online
The leaks appear to be authentic, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Trump names CEOs, nuclear fusion founders and Nobel laureate to tech advisory council
The announcement includes 13 of the possible 24 members that will make up the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
IRS faces AI skills gaps after pushing tech talent out, watchdog finds
The agency drained about 40% of its IT staff last year, GAO said.
White House releases regulatory vision for AI
The framework includes seven AI policy recommendations for Congress that attempt to balance consumer protections with advancing AI development.
Congress reauthorized the Technology Modernization Fund through the fiscal year. Why that matters and what’s next
COMMENTARY | Acting TMF Executive Director Jessie Posilkin argues that reauthorizing the fund lets agencies modernize key systems, save taxpayer dollars and deliver faster, more reliable services to the public.
DOJ clears the way for government to hire technologists still connected to their private sector employers
Ethics experts and public sector lawyers told Nextgov/FCW that they are skeptical about the arrangement of private sector technologists joining the government on leaves of absence while retaining their deferred compensation packages.
Much of the government’s technology isn’t accessible, internal report finds
Just over a third of the government’s most-viewed websites met legal requirements that they be accessible for people with disabilities.
Fed agencies told to track AI’s impact on the workforce
A bipartisan group of senators are asking the Labor Department, Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau to update their national surveys to better understand artificial intelligence’s impacts in the culture and workforce.
These former government tech leaders are prepping day-one plans for a future administration
Mikey Dickerson, the first head of the U.S. Digital Service, is a senior advisor for the effort, called the Tech Viaduct.
