Weekly Roundup: June 2-6, 2025

Artificial Intelligence

Patent Office Eyes AI to Slash Application Backlogs. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) said it wants to significantly scale up its use of artificial intelligence in the coming months to streamline support for its patent examination process and reduce wait times on patents and trademarks.  “The USPTO is seeking American industry partners motivated to help improve the patent and trademark examination processes and fuel a national transformation of AI infrastructure with the goal of reducing application backlogs and protecting applicant data from domestic and foreign IP theft,” said USPTO in a posting to SAM.gov on June 4.  Responses to the request for information are due by June 10. 

CDAO Official: AI RCC Keeps DoD at Pace With Industry Innovation. The Department of Defense’s (DoD) newest artificial intelligence (AI) initiative is helping the Pentagon move swiftly to integrate generative AI into military and enterprise operations and ensure that the military keeps pace with industry advances. The Artificial Intelligence Rapid Capabilities Cell (AI RCC) was established by the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) to fast-track the deployment of frontier and generative AI (GenAI) tools across the DoD. One such example, is the integration of GenAI-powered chatbots – like ChatGPT – across DoD operations.

State AI Moratorium Eroding Reconciliation Bill Support. A small but significant slice of lawmakers – including several Republican members of the House and Senate – are getting cold feet over supporting the Trump administration’s reconciliation funding bill because it includes a House-approved provision that would impose a ten-year moratorium on state-level artificial intelligence regulation.

Fraud, Waste, and Abuse

PRAC: Data Analytics Could Have Prevented $79B COVID Fraud. The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC) issued a Fraud Prevention Alert this week that argues the Federal government could have saved an estimated $79 billion if it had implemented data analytics to prevent pandemic-related fraud. In its latest June 4 alert, the committee said that the lack of effective pre-award vetting by the major pandemic relief programs resulted in about $79 billion of potential identity fraud involving the use of 1.4 million potentially stolen or invalid Social Security numbers (SSNs).

Workforce

The evolution of telework in the federal government: A cautionary tale. How early telework gains during the pandemic collided with post-COVID realities inside federal agencies.

Leadership

Empathy Is a Non-Negotiable Leadership Skill. Here’s How to Practice It.  Empathy is a requisite to mobilize, connect with, and engage others. To better lead with this non-negotiable skill, leaders can use six strategies: Develop an empathy protocol, be other-focused, balance individual and group needs, facilitate support instead of taking over, model boundary-setting, and update language to connect.

What Leaders Get Wrong About Listening. Listening well is an essential aspect of leadership – not just to maintain good relationships with employees, but to drive real business improvements and results. But many of us still get it wrong – or might think we are good listeners but don’t give that impression to our teams. Jeff Yip, assistant professor of management at Simon Fraser University’s Beedle School of Business, explains why the skill is so important to business success and identifies the five main mistakes leaders make when it comes to listening. He is coauthor, along with Colin Fisher of University College London, of the HBR article “Are You Really A Good Listener?

Customer Experience

VA’s Morton: Using Tech to Let Veterans Drive Their Own CX. Integrating artificial intelligence into customer experience (CX) services can empower veterans and other constituents to shape how they are served, noted a Barbara Morton, deputy chief veterans experience officer at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Morton explained that integrating the use of advanced technology – such as AI – can help supplement interactions between federal agencies and customers, including citizens and trusted partners.  

Healthcare

HHS Names Thomas Keane National Coordinator for Health IT. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has appointed Dr. Thomas Keane as the agency’s assistant secretary for technology policy (ASTP) and the national coordinator for health information technology. ASTP, according to HHS, is the lead agency charged with formulating the federal government’s health IT strategy and coordinating Federal health IT policies, standards, programs, and investments.

FEHRM’s Cloud Transition Will Help VA, DoD Boost User Experience. The Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization (FEHRM) office is moving the Federal EHR to the cloud, a move that the office’s chief technology officer (CTO) said will help agencies like the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with their EHR rollout. Lance Scott, the CTO at the FEHRM explains that the cloud transformation is “no small feat” and will take about 18 months to two years to complete. The Federal Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a single EHR system used by multiple Federal agencies. The VA is deploying the Federal EHR system at a total of 13 sites in fiscal year (FY) 2026, with the help of its contractor Oracle Health – formerly Oracle Cerner

Zero Trust

DoD Official Sees New Zero Trust OT, IOT Guidance in September. The Defense Department’s (DoD) Zero Trust Portfolio Management Office is eyeing a September timeframe to issue new zero trust security guidance for operational technology (OT) and internet of things (IOT) technology.

THIS WEEK @ THE CENTER 

RECENT BLOGS

• A Renewed IBM Center Research Agenda – Seeking Ideas to Improve Government by Dan Chenok. The IBM Center for The Business of Government has released its latest Research Announcement. With this research announcement, the Center is pleased to solicit proposals that result in reports with practical, actionable recommendations for government leaders and public managers across the five NEW research areas.

• Navigating the Complexity and Variability of Government Data to Improve Payment Integrity: Key Insights from an Expert Roundtable by Dan Chenok.  This post—the second in a three-part series highlighting key insights, major themes and findings from the roundtable—focuses on using data proactively to identify potential issues before they occur: shifting from a reactive “pay and chase” approach to a preventative one.

ICYMI – Exploring the Use of IT and Technology in State Governments: A Conversation with Tarek Tomes, Chief Information Officer, State of Minnesota. This week Michael Keegan welcomed Tarek Tomes, CIO of the State of Minnesota to discuss his IT vision and strategy and how states are leveraging emerging technologies to meet mission.