One of the big questions I often get from providers is about use cases for artificial intelligence.
The federal government has disclosed over one thousand seven hundred artificial intelligence use cases, more than doubling last year’s total, according to a consolidated inventory released by the White House. This year, thirty-seven federal agencies reported one thousand seven hundred fifty-seven public AI uses, compared to seven hundred ten last year. The top use categories include mission-enabling tasks, health and medical applications, and government services. Notably, while many use cases are in operation and maintenance phases — meaning they’re being used right now — the inventories reflect use cases at various stages along the development lifecycle, including uses that are in acquisition and development, in the process of being initiated or even uses that have been retired. The Department of Health and Human Services reported the highest number of uses, with two hundred seventy-one cases, marking a sixty-six percent increase from the previous year. Initially established in December 2020, the new inventory process aims to provide a clearer picture of how the government manages AI development and usage.
The Department of Homeland Security highlighted facial recognition systems used by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and a passive body scanner from Babel for detecting weapons. There are multiple generative AI examples, including summarization and data presentation projects. An example from HHS is “Use Generative AI to create maintenance and IT system outage alerts that will be sent to NIDCD staff.”
DHS has launched a new artificial intelligence-powered chatbot named DHSChat, now available to approximately 19,000 employees at DHS headquarters and selected pilot users across ten operating agencies. According to Michael Boyce, Director of the DHS AI Corps, the chatbot utilizes generative AI technology similar to commercial tools like ChatGPT but operates within a secure environment. The department has prepared staff for this transition by providing access to generative AI tools and training sessions. DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas emphasized that this tool will help employees draft reports, summarize information, and streamline tasks, all while ensuring the highest standards of security and protecting civil rights.
Why do we care?
As customers adopt AI technology, there is a growing demand for IT services that can support these initiatives. Providers can position themselves to offer solutions that enhance AI integration, including data management, machine learning platforms, and compliance services tailored to federal regulations. For some customers, this will involve evaluating existing products’ AI integrations for value and assisting with training and implementation.
I’m releasing a bonus episode this weekend, a presentation I did on MSP success stories with AI. Examples help frame ideas.