Author Archive
Tech
TSA looks to AI to enhance x-ray screenings of travelers’ luggage
The Transportation Security Administration is already using facial recognition to verify the identity of travelers but wants to improve its scanners to detect more prohibited items.
Tech
How TSA’s opt-outs for biometric screenings informed White House AI policy
The Office of Management and Budget’s recent guidance on the government’s responsible use of AI elevates TSA's practice of allowing travelers to decline biometric scans at airport security to national policy.
Tech
AI is creating ‘more sophisticated’ but not unprecedented election threats, DHS official says
AI is likely to create more convincing phishing campaigns but is “not necessarily introducing a new threat or risk in and of itself,” the official said.
Tech
Lawmakers eye 2025 defense bill for AI proposals
A leader of the Senate’s bipartisan AI working group said that next year's must-pass defense policy bill could include some substantive AI proposals, but the Senate is “not ready” for a comprehensive AI bill at this time.
Tech
Lawmakers propose a new federal office to regulate workplace surveillance tech
The new bill from Reps. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., and Suzanne Bonamici, D-Ore., would also establish new employee rights and employer transparency rules around surveillance.
Management
Pentagon names new top official for digital and AI
Radha Plumb, currently deputy undersecretary of Defense for acquisition and sustainment, will replace Craig Martell as Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer on April 8.
Tech
Biden's $1.67 trillion budget boosts tech, AI
The Biden administration’s FY2025 budget request provides agencies with $3 billion “to responsibly develop, test, procure and integrate transformative AI applications across the federal government.”
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Oversight
Bill enhancing contractor whistleblower protections advances to the Senate
The bipartisan proposal would close loopholes that have left federal contractors vulnerable to retaliation.
Management
VA budget bill maintains EHR funding but imposes additional ‘reset’ oversight
The bipartisan FY24 budget package allocates over $1.3 billion for the agency’s new electronic health record system but makes 25% of that funding contingent on enhanced transparency around VA’s ongoing EHR “program reset.”
Tech
Lawmakers urge VA to tread carefully with AI
The Department of Veteran Affairs’ 2023 inventory of AI use cases listed 100 instances where VA is working to use emerging technologies, with at least 40 of those examples in an operational phase.
Tech
Commerce advisory committee urges government to boost startup access to talent and funding
Congress should fully fund the Economic Development Administration’s regional technology and innovation hubs program to help the U.S. tech sector maintain its global leadership, according to the committee.
Tech
How DHS is providing security tech and cyber support for Super Bowl LVIII
The Homeland Security Department said it is “leveraging its significant technology assets and dedicated personnel” to protect the Feb. 11 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Tech
Contracts featuring automation and built-in security can boost agencies’ cyber defenses, VA officials say
As the federal government looks to harden its cyber resilience, officials from the Veterans Affairs Department said agencies should work to modernize outdated technologies and ensure that vendor contracts include more rigorous security standards.
Tech
Autonomous tech featured in Senate border and foreign aid bill
The Senate’s proposed $118 billion immigration and foreign aid package includes more than $260 million to deploy emerging technologies to secure the border.
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Tech
Vet centers need better systems, data to enhance support services
Watchdog officials warned lawmakers that the community-based counseling centers for returning veterans use a platform for identifying those at high risk of suicide that is “neither effectively nor consistently utilized.”
Tech
DISA pilots 'concierge AI' to help staffers
The agency is undertaking some early proof of concept initiatives, including a “concierge AI” tool, to see how emerging technologies can support its workforce.
Management
Bipartisan bill strives for ‘more nimble and meaningful’ federal contracting
Legislation from Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, would “streamline procedures” for both solicitation and awards by slimming down the procurement process.
Management
VA’s compliance with accessibility requirements still lacking, watchdog says
The Veterans Affairs Department “did not effectively manage website accessibility to ensure Section 508 compliance,” according to an audit conducted by the department’s Office of Inspector General.
Tech
Senators call for Transportation to offer ‘accessible, mobile-friendly’ service animal form
Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill., called the paperwork that disabled Americans need to complete before traveling with their service animals “poorly designed and needlessly difficult to complete.”
Management