Use of AI at federal agencies???

[Anonymous]

Given the recent AI executive orders, will federal agencies finally “get with the program” and allow staff to use AI chat bots (as long as no PII or confidential info is disclosed)?

Why can staff use Google but not ChatGPT? What the hell’s the difference nowadays? Does Google’s “AI Mode” count as using a “chat bot”?

If federal agencies were around thousands of years ago, they’d have some bureaucrat in IT draft a policy prohibiting the use of the wheel.

[Anonymous]

I think the utility is really limited bc we can't put anything from our agency in it (basically everything is at least CUI for federal agencies. I guess it could help for things like give me a brief history of the X Act or what are key provisions of these regs. But do some tests even with that. Microsoft CoPilot couldn't give me an accurate list of which restaurants are in a particular neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the utility is really limited bc we can't put anything from our agency in it (basically everything is at least CUI for federal agencies. I guess it could help for things like give me a brief history of the X Act or what are key provisions of these regs. But do some tests even with that. Microsoft CoPilot couldn't give me an accurate list of which restaurants are in a particular neighborhood.

Next year it will. The Valleys moto is to deploy and fix later. And this is the most permissive governor they will probably ever have. If self driving cars aren't ready? No problem deploy them on our streets. If AI tells you Washington DC is the capital of China? No problem they will fix it later.

[Anonymous]

My agency already has an internal AI that let's you input PII.

[Anonymous]

The accuracy of chatbots is poor right now.

I was a fed in the 90s. We produced quality work. I never heard the phrase "good enough for government work" until I left the DMV.

I've found private sector workers/corporate people far more likely to "phone it in" or quietly produce low effort work. Because now there's little loyalty to employers and no sense of a greater good either.

Back to AI. I want meticulous, accurate, and thoughtful work from my public servants. Not just some "good enough" garbage that Silicon Valley thinks is sufficient to approximate an answer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My agency already has an internal AI that let's you input PII.

Mine does too. It sucks.

[Anonymous]

FDA has adopted AI. It’s being used to review products for approval.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My agency already has an internal AI that let's you input PII.

Same. But then I read they RIFd some people working in that office so..

[Anonymous]

We have a lot of AI options. Some are better than others. The problem is that no one knows how to use them and training is scarce. You can't get into the class. Trainers likely RIFed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:FDA has adopted AI. It’s being used to review products for approval.

I hope this is not accurate

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My agency already has an internal AI that let's you input PII.

Mine does too. It sucks.

Same

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My agency already has an internal AI that let's you input PII.

Mine does too. It sucks.

They're wrappers around commercially available or open source models. They may be a year behind the best models, but they're otherwise the same models used everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:FDA has adopted AI. It’s being used to review products for approval.

I hope this is not accurate

Another FDA employee here. This is absolutely true, however it’s used as part of the review process, and a human still does the ultimate review (from what I understand).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The accuracy of chatbots is poor right now.

I was a fed in the 90s. We produced quality work. I never heard the phrase "good enough for government work" until I left the DMV.

I've found private sector workers/corporate people far more likely to "phone it in" or quietly produce low effort work. Because now there's little loyalty to employers and no sense of a greater good either.

Back to AI. I want meticulous, accurate, and thoughtful work from my public servants. Not just some "good enough" garbage that Silicon Valley thinks is sufficient to approximate an answer.

Sorry, the public doesn't want anything thoughtful. DOGE wants us using AI for everything so that's what we're going to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the utility is really limited bc we can't put anything from our agency in it (basically everything is at least CUI for federal agencies. I guess it could help for things like give me a brief history of the X Act or what are key provisions of these regs. But do some tests even with that. Microsoft CoPilot couldn't give me an accurate list of which restaurants are in a particular neighborhood.

This is not true. Info is CUI only if it is qualified to be per the CUI registry.