“Strengthening and empowering the federal workforce” has been a key goal of the Biden administration. The rise in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) has helped push this goal forward, with AI becoming not just a tool for the workforce, but a pseudo colleague. It is also helping to fill perennially open positions, as well as provide a more modern work experience for government employees.
Filling the Gaps
The federal workforce is changing. A large number of aging workers are retiring while new positions, particularly related to cybersecurity, AI, and data, are being created. A shrinking workforce combined with new positions and skill expectations means open positions across government, forcing existing staff to take on extra responsibilities.
Fortunately, the automation powers of AI are taking over manual, time-consuming tasks, giving these stretched teams more time to focus on meaningful work. Reducing the number of people required to produce a report or conduct a manual process means that positions can be redefined and reallocated to meet the reality of today’s workforce and government missions. The use of AI in day-to-day work also frees up time to attend training sessions that allow employees to upskill and meet the needs of a digitally driven work environment.
For the Department of Energy (DOE), the use of AI is a double-edged sword. AI and other digital technologies are driving increased demand for electricity while the permitting process has remained largely manual creating a heavy burden on staff. DOE is utilizing AI to tap into historical permitting and environmental data to better inform the limited staff while also expediting decisions, ensuring that clean energy infrastructure can be built more quickly.
Ensuring Longevity
An interest in serving the country and their community attracts many young people to government jobs, but antiquated technology makes fulfilling that promise to serve difficult and can be a major reason many leave public service. To attract and retain young, passionate employees and build a more diverse workforce, agencies are looking to AI to move modernization efforts forward.
A recent survey found that 83 percent of respondents said the transition to digital government would positively impact overall job satisfaction and engagement of employees in their organization. The reduction of manual tasks and the opportunity to get trained on leading-edge technology may account for this overwhelming hope for an improvement in day-to-day work. In fact, public sector-specific industry reports have shown that meaningful work was the second-highest driver of employee retention.
Engaging Employees
The implementation of AI should not happen in a vacuum with top-down decisions. The workforce needs to be involved in the development of AI solutions, not only to ensure adoption and use but also to provide the input and data AI solutions need to be effective.
The State Department launched AI.State, a “central hub for all things AI,” featuring internal tools, libraries of prompts, and use cases. This hub allows employees to explore and experiment with how AI makes work at the State Department more automated and connected. In this way, the Department is involving employees in the creation of the AI they will use to complete daily tasks and meet their mission.
AI tools are becoming valuable colleagues in the federal workforce, automating manual tasks and giving employees time to focus on more substantive, mission-centered work. Improving the employee experience improves the customer experience, another key focus of the Biden Administration. Happy employees, armed with the tools and data they need to do their jobs, provide better service.
As the founder of GovEvents and GovWhitePapers, Kerry is on a mission to help businesses interact with, evolve, and serve the government. With 25+ years of experience in the information technology and government industries, Kerry drives the overall strategy and oversees operations for both companies. She has also served in executive marketing roles at a number of government IT providers.
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