Weekly Roundup: November 4-8, 2024

Innovation

AFRL Officials: User Buzz High for NIPRGPT Chatbot Five Months In.  Five months after launching its experimental AI-powered chatbot NIPRGPT for the Department of the Air Force (DAF), officials from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) are sharing early insights and offering a glimpse into the future of the platform. Alexis Bonnell, AFRL CIO and director of the AFRL Digital Capabilities Directorate explained that in the few months since its deployment there has been a real excitement from users to test it out. “We recognized that our people are under tremendous stress and toil loads in defense right now. This is a speed chess game, and they need augmentation. They need an ally when it comes to their relationship with knowledge and data,” she said.

gFormer AF Official: DoD Bureaucracy Stifles Tech Acquisition, Innovation. The Department of Defense’s (DoD) bureaucratic processes are hindering tech acquisition and stifling generational innovation, slowing the military’s ability to adapt to rapidly evolving technologies. Will Roper former assistant secretary of the Air Force for acquisition, technology and logistics said this during a conversation hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Roper explained that the DoD’s bureaucratic process is “slow, cumbersome, and expensive. Building a system that’s less complex is a great step. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be.” He explained that DoD’s current bureaucratic process “discourages innovation” in large part due to the complexity associated with the certification process.

VA, FDA Team Up to Launch Health AI Lab. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are teaming up to launch the first intergovernmental Health AI Laboratory (HAIL), which will test healthcare-related applications of AI tech in a virtual lab environment.

Management and Acquisition

Army Achieves key Milestone of Modernized Contract Writing System. The U.S. Army Program Executive Office (PEO) Enterprise and the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Procurement (ODASA(P)) recently announced the integration of the modernized Army Contract Writing System (ACWS) with the Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Financial Management System (CEFMS).

Customer Experience

VA, IRS Making Major Strides in CX Since EO. Top customer experience (CX) officials at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) detailed how their agencies are making major strides in the CX space – including the IRS testing new pilots for the upcoming tax season and the VA increasing trust to 80 percent. VA Deputy CX officer Barbara Morton said. “[Trust is] our North Star … Veterans are reflecting back to us how they’re feeling about us, and that’s one of our key measures of performance, and we’re thrilled to have that accomplishment this year.” The IRS is another agency that began its CX work in 2019 ahead of the executive order, according to the agency’s Deputy Chief Taxpayer Experience Officer Courtney Kay-Decker. The IRS was given a boost in CX funding with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in 2022, and what that “has unleashed in our agency to improve service to our taxpayers has been just phenomenal,” Kay-Decker said.

Workforce

Technology Adoption and Workforce Upskilling are Top Government Challenges for FY25. Technology advances, especially in artificial intelligence (AI), have put a spotlight on technical skills gaps across the workforce. This is of particular concern amid growing cybersecurity threats and budgetary challenges for Federal agencies. Technical skills deficiencies exist throughout the U.S. labor market, according to research from the National Skills Coalition. The research found that 92 percent of U.S. jobs now require digital skills, but a third of workers have a low level of digital skills, or none at all. In the federal government, skills gaps contribute to 22 of the 37 problem areas identified in the Government Accountability Office’s high-risk list. Skills gaps exist across technology, engineering, cybersecurity, science and other areas, GAO noted. 

Transition

President-elect Trump's transition starts now. Here's how it will work.  The president-elect now has a 75-day transition period to build out his team before Inauguration Day arrives on Jan. 20. One top item on the to-do list: filling around 4,000 government positions with political appointees, people who are specifically tapped for their jobs by Trump’s team.

Leadership

How Large Organization Can Get Innovation Right.  MIT Sloan School of Management researchers Deborah Ancona and Kate Isaacs argue that big organizations can be nimble if they have three types of leaders in the mix: entrepreneurial, enabling, and architecting.

Unifying Leadership in a Divided Time. Karthik Ramanna, professor at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government, has some answers. Drawing on his work with government officials and corporate executives, he walks us through the root causes of our current crisis, explains how to effectively navigate through disagreement, and offers practical takeaways for managers at every level. Ramanna is the author of the book The Age of Outrage: How to Lead in a Polarized World.

How to Lead When the Future Feels Unpredictable. Uncertain times abound, and the protracted uncertainty that comes with living in liminal times can cause leaders and employees alike to feel unsettled or anxious, but the authors of this article remind us that we have more agency during these times than we might realize. They offer guidance on how to not only survive such periods but also embrace them as a time for reflection and learning.

THIS WEEK @ THE CENTER 

NEW REPORT

• Navigating Generative AI in Government by Alex Richter. This report, which distills perspectives from two expert roundtable of leaders in Australia, presents 11 strategic pathways for integrating generative AI in government. The strategies include ensuring coherent and ethical AI implementation, developing adaptive AI governance models, investing in a robust data infrastructure, and providing comprehensive training for employees. Encouraging innovation and prioritizing public engagement and transparency are also essential to harnessing the full potential of AI.

RECENT BLOGS 

• Quantum Technology and Homeland Security by Paula Ganga and Michael J. Keegan. This blog summarizes the key insights outlined in Chapter 9, “Quantum Technology Challenge: What Role for the Government?” of our book Transforming the Business of Government: Insights on Resilience, Innovation, and Performance, focusing on the insights implications and applications for homeland security.
• Implementing Generative AI in Government: Challenges and Opportunities by Dan Chenok. A new report draws on insights from leaders in Australia to frame strategies and recommendations that can help all governments adapt generative AI approaches effectively and ethically.

ICYMI – Navigating the Complex Landscape of Data. This week Michael Keegan welcomed Prof. Cristina Alaimo, co-author of DATA RULES: Reinventing the Market Economy delves into the intricate world of data and its profound implications for modern society. The interview spans a range of topics, from the historical evolution of data to its current role in artificial intelligence (AI) and data governance.