While data is limited, the broader AI workforce and pipeline appears to have the same demographic underrepresentation issues that STEM careers experience, lacking diversity in terms of gender, race and ethnicity. And just like the private sector, the government has historically struggled with diversity in STEM roles.

Aware of that landscape, the Biden administration says it’s making efforts to promote diversity in AI hiring, including encouraging agencies to target their outreach for open positions, underscoring the need for “AI-enabling” jobs, and engaging with groups aimed at diversifying technologists. Ultimately, what hangs in the balance of those actions is having a workforce that will bring a variety of experiences and perspectives to the table when managing the application of the booming technology — something the administration, experts, and advocates have stressed.

“If we don’t have a diverse group of people building something that needs to serve a larger group of people, we’re going to do ourselves a disservice, and there’s going to be a lot of unhappy people that can’t benefit from something that should be able to be accessible to all,” said Lisa Mae Brunson, founder of Wonder Women Tech, an organization aimed at helping advance women, people of color, and other underrepresented communities in tech and science fields. 

Already, the federal government is hiring for artificial intelligence positions and seeing interest in open roles. Since President Joe Biden’s October executive order on AI, more than 150 people have been hired in AI and AI-enabling roles, according to a report to the White House by the AI Tech and Talent Task Force. As of March, applications for AI and AI-enabling roles in 2024 have doubled when compared to similar periods in the previous two years, the report said.

That report also underscored the need for diversity, noting that the task force has “prioritized recruiting from a diverse pool of qualified candidates,” consistent with previous Biden executive orders that established the White House Gender Policy Council and outlined actions to promote diversity in federal government hiring.

According to the task force, those efforts recognize “the need for technical experts who can work to mitigate bias in AI systems and the overall underrepresentation of women, people of color, first-generation professionals and immigrants, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQI+ individuals in the STEM field as a whole.”

Active recruiting 

As AI hiring efforts move forward, officials are stressing the importance of recruitment. 

Kyleigh Russ, a senior adviser to the Office of Personnel Management’s deputy director, told FedScoop the administration is trying to get away from a passive “post and pray” method of hiring — meaning the job gets posted and agencies hope the right person applies. Instead, agencies are encouraged to shift to “active recruiting.” 

Often the volume of applications isn’t the problem for federal government positions, Russ said, but there is a desire to make sure the right people and a diverse group of people are applying.

Active recruiting could mean reaching out to someone on LinkedIn, recruiting directly from minority-serving institutions, or engaging in events like its recent virtual job fair. 

Russ described the push for active recruiting as a “change in practice” and said OPM is working on a training program that will address active recruiting. That program, which it’s collaborating on with the U.S. Digital Service and the Office of Performance and Personnel Management, will be aimed at teaching human resources how to recruit and hire technologists, as it’s a specialized field with “unique challenges,” Russ said. 

During a panel about women in AI last month at Scoop News Group’s AI Talks, USDS Administrator Mina Hsiang pointed to the concept of telling stories about use cases and problems they’re trying to solve as a tool for hiring. 

“Different people want to solve different problems that they see in their communities or in their lives,” Hsiang said. “And so the more that we can connect this to problems that people care about, and show how these are relevant pieces of that, the more people will be motivated to sort of move into those fields.”

Hiring a diverse federal workforce across the government has been an important issue for the Biden administration since its early days. In June 2021, the White House issued an executive order to advance diversity, equity and inclusion in the federal workforce. That order directed agencies to assess the state of diversity, equity and inclusion in their workforces, and took steps to advance things like pay equity. 

AI-enabling

The administration is also highlighting the difference between AI and AI-enabling jobs, which includes roles that are less technical and broadens the pool of candidates. 

Roles that fall into the enabling category include things like data scientists, data analysis, and technical recruiters, Russ said. She noted that the administration has been stressing that it’s looking for both categories of roles in its recruiting campaign and specifically with the recent Tech to Gov job fair. 

That April 18 virtual fair, which is similar to others Tech to Gov has held before, yielded registrations from over 1,300 people representing all 50 states, according to numbers provided by the nonpartisan and nonprofit Tech Talent Project that coordinates the Tech to Gov coalition. The event focused on senior-level technologist roles at the roughly 15 federal agencies and four state agencies that participated. 

Jennifer Anastasoff, executive director of the Tech Talent Project, similarly underscored that both AI and AI-enabling roles are needed. For government hires, Anastasoff said it isn’t required “that every one of the folks who’s inside is someone who has deep expertise in the most technical of technical AI.”

“What we need are folks who can really help make sure that all of our systems — technically, data and otherwise — are really focused on the people who are supposed to be receiving those services,” said Anastasoff, who was a founding member of USDS. 

Anastasoff said the administration’s work with Tech to Gov shows a “level of commitment” to diversity in the technology workforce, as the coalition’s members are interested in that issue. Tech to Gov’s members include organizations like the U.S. Digital Response, Coding it Forward, and AnitaB.org. 

There’s also more work planned with groups trying to diversify tech. Deputy Federal Chief Information Officer Drew Myklegard told FedScoop the administration is planning a hiring push at this year’s Grace Hopper Celebration, a conference for women and non-binary people in technology that’s organized by AnitaB.org.

“It’s 30,000 individuals that come together who are excited, young, extremely diverse,” Myklegard said, “and we think we have a very compelling pitch why they should come and work for the government in AI.”

Additionally, there’s action being taken to support a diverse pipeline of AI professionals outside government. The National Science Foundation, for example, has a program targeted at diversifying the AI research community, including funding research and education at minority-serving institutions. Biden’s AI executive order directed NSF to continue its support of AI-related education and workforce development in an effort to “foster a diverse AI-ready workforce.” 

“We know that the existing research institutions, and some of the other institutions, are building curriculum, but this curriculum has to be everywhere because talent and ideas are anxious to engage, and that’s a deep commitment from NSF,” Sethuraman Panchanathan, the agency’s director, told FedScoop.

Diversity data

The growth of the AI workforce comes as STEM careers more broadly have historically struggled with diversity — both in the private sector and the federal government.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, for example, found that women made up less than 30% of federal STEM jobs in fiscal year 2019. A November 2023 report by the Union of Concerned Scientists found that while the shares of scientists in the federal government grew more racially and ethnically diverse between 2017 and 2022, there were decreases in certain groups and inequities were still present in the STEM workforce at specific agencies. 

When it comes to the federal AI workforce, specifically, there aren’t yet figures. The government, through OPM, is still in the process of getting a head count of federal AI and AI-enabling employees. A recent publication from OPM that describes and defines those AI roles will aid those efforts to get a sense of the workforce within the government. Russ said that will likely include demographic data.

Data on the AI workforce is a challenge outside of government as well. Nestor Maslej, a research manager at Stanford’s Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence who manages the AI Index, said there isn’t as much data on diversity in AI compared to economic or technical performance data, and emphasized the need to address that.

“Although things are getting better, we really would want to kind of create a world in which there is more data — there is much more reporting,” Maslej said. “Because I think data is the first step in actually understanding what’s going on, what the landscape is like, and what kind of changes are required.” 

Stanford’s most recent AI Index report, for example, uses data on computer science graduates to paint a picture of the AI workforce pipeline. That data shows that men represent roughly 3 in 4 bachelor’s, master’s, and PhD computer science graduates in North America. Those students are predominantly white, though Asian graduates also make up a substantial portion in each degree type as well.

If people are able to see that the government has a diverse and representative AI workforce, Maslej said it could generate more confidence from the public in its regulation of that technology.

Looking forward

While the hiring push is still in its early stages, there are some suggestions on how to improve efforts.

Wonder Woman Tech’s Brunson said she’d like to see the administration be more vocal about a commitment to diversity with its AI hires, especially as the tech industry has seen a rollback of some diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Brunson said she now doesn’t have the resources to be able to tell people looking for jobs where to go, and many people who are interested are trying to teach themselves about AI. “Where is there an opportunity … to train up these diverse candidates so that the future of AI talent looks different than what it looks like today?” Brunson said. 

But there is also optimism that diverse hiring is achievable. Seth Dobrin, founder and CEO of Qantm AI and the author of a forthcoming book on AI strategy, talent and culture, said that while the talent pool of people building AI models isn’t particularly diverse, the pool that the Biden administration will likely hire from is separate from that. He said that in his experience “it’s not as bleak as some of these studies show.” 

Dobrin, who was IBM’s first global chief AI officer, emphasized the importance of intentionally crafting job postings and descriptions so they are more inclusive to diversity. 

“It’s not hiring for a lowest common denominator,” he said. “It’s making sure that you craft your job descriptions appropriately, that you don’t interview until you have a diverse pool of candidates, and then you hire the best person from that pool.”

FedScoop reporter Caroline Nihill contributed to this story.

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U.S. government and military were among five industry categories from which survey respondents were least likely to express confidence about their organization’s ability to respond to potential cyber incidents.

The findings were outlined in a cybersecurity workforce study commissioned earlier this year by (ISC)², which surveyed over 11,000 cybersecurity professionals. (ISC)² is a major nonprofit association for certified cybersecurity professionals.

Of the cybersecurity professionals surveyed, 61% said their primary concern in the next two years is the potential risks of emerging technologies like blockchain, AI, VR, quantum computing, and keeping up with changing government regulatory requirements.  

According to the survey, 70% of respondents reported that their respective organizations don’t have enough cyber employees, and data from the study also revealed the need for 3.4 million more cyber workers globally to secure digital assets effectively.  

More than half of the survey respondents with cyber workforce shortages said that staff deficits put their organization at a “moderate” or “extreme” risk of a cyberattack. 

“As a result of geopolitical tensions and macroeconomic instability, alongside high-profile data breaches and growing physical security challenges, there is a greater focus on cybersecurity and increasing demand for professionals within the field,” said Clar Rosso, CEO of (ISC)².

“The study shows us that retaining and attracting strong talent is more important than ever. Professionals are saying loud and clear that corporate culture, experience, training and education investment and mentorship are paramount to keeping your team motivated, engaged and effective.”

The survey showed also that while 75% of cyber professionals report strong job satisfaction and passion about their work, over 70% still feel overworked, while a quarter of respondents below age 30 consider “gatekeeping and generational tensions” as a top-five challenge for them in the next two years.

When it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion with the cybersecurity landscape, the survey showed that 55% of cyber employees believe diversity will increase among their teams within two years but 30% of female and 18% of non-white cyber employees feel discriminated against at work currently. 

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Awards went to 10 higher education and minority-serving institutions — with an emphasis on those serving Black, Hispanic, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander people — that will form training consortia for the next four years.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT‘s Public Health Informatics & Technology (PHIT) Workforce Development Program was funded through the American Rescue Plan Act to improve COVID-19 data collection and the diversity of the talent pipeline.

Unlike a contract, which is binding, cooperative agreements are more flexible to allow for consortia to be formed.

“While we work to tackle the pandemic, we won’t take our foot off the gas when it comes to preparing for any future public health challenges,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, in the announcement. “And as we work to expand talent, whether it’s in the field of technology or public health informatics, we will do so with an eye towards promoting diversity.”

The PHIT Workforce Program awardees are Bowie State University; California State University, Long Beach Research Foundation; Dominican College of Blauvelt, Inc.; Jackson State University; Norfolk State University; Regents of the University of Minnesota; University of Texas Health Science Center; University of Massachusetts at Lowell; University of California, Irvine; and University of the District of Columbia.

The hope is to make the talent pipeline continuous after the initial four years is up.

“It’s critical that we quickly identify and educate individuals from diverse backgrounds in public health, informatics and data science to cultivate a robust, sustainable public health workforce,” said Micky Tripathi, national coordinator for health IT, in a statement.

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Under the order, agencies will be required to collect enhanced demographic data about federal employees and work to advance pay equity among public servants. Following the EO, departments will no longer be able to ask for details of – and base future compensation – upon a candidate’s prior salary history.

The Office of Personnel Management and the Office of Management and Budget will be charged with overseeing the implementation of the new directive.

It focuses strongly on advancing opportunity for communities that have previously faced employment discrimination, including people of color, women, first-generation professionals and immigrants, individuals with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ individuals.

The White House said also the new order is intended to improve federal employment opportunities for Americans who live in rural areas, older Americans facing age discrimination, parents and caregivers, people of faith who require religious accommodations at work, individuals who were formerly incarcerated, and veterans and military spouses.

The legislation mandates that all agencies assess the current state of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility within their workforces and that they develop plans to eliminate any barriers to success faced by underserved employees. It directs agencies to seek opportunities to establish or elevate chief diversity officers within their organizations.

Agencies will be required to undertake an in-depth assessment of barriers to working for a federal government faced by individuals with disabilities and to work to build a more diverse talent pipeline into the federal government, including through partnerships with universities and other institutions that historically have served minority communities.

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CISO Jack Wilmer pointed to improving diversity as one of DOD’s greatest workforce needs in defending the military and nation against cybersecurity threats.

“When you look at what our adversaries are actually doing, the approaches they’re taking, they really do have some very clever and creative things they’re doing, Wilmer said at FedScoop’s Workforce Summit. “And one of the things I certainly realized is one way of thinking about what they might be doing is not at all sufficient.”

It takes a diversity of thought, he said, to anticipate and respond to sophisticated bad actors.

“If we only have a set of people that all kind of think the same kind of way and were all taught and grew up the same kind of way, we’re probably not going to be able to come up with the right set of things that the adversaries might then try and use against us,” Wilmer said.

He pointed to recruiting more women into cybersecurity and IT as one of DOD’s biggest needs.

Within the intelligence community, there’s the same need for diversity, said Sherry Van Sloun, acting assistant director of national intelligence for human capital.

“Diversity in thought, diversity in culture, diversity in experiences is critical” to the national intelligence mission, she said.

She highlighted the intelligence community Center for Academic Excellence program’s “focuses on diversity in underserving schools and diverse schools across the country” by giving schools grants to build national security curriculums.

The intelligence community just concluded a special recruitment event in Huntsville, Alabama, last month “where we went down as one IC, there were no separate seals … and it was a STEM-focused recruitment fair, and we used technology to target those kids who were studying STEM,” she said.

Through that event, the agencies invited 1,000 seniors from 33 schools within a 200-mile radius graduating next spring to participate. Of those, the intelligence community met 600 of them and gave about 100 jobs on the spot, Van Sloun said.

“This builds a pipeline of students who want to come and work for the intelligence community,” she said.

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It is not enough just to bring together people of different backgrounds, call it diversity and expect it to make any difference, she explained at an AFCEA luncheon focused on women in the Defense Department. Norton took command of DISA and the Joint Force Headquarters Department of Defense Information Network Feb. 1.

“We really do need to not just be a diverse workforce but we need to demand that that diversity of opinion and diversity of perspective is actually listened to,” Norton said. “Having a diverse group of people in the room that aren’t enabled to actually say anything or contribute to the dialogue isn’t real diversity. We have to encourage them to speak up and talk about different kinds of perspectives, different choices than what you would necessarily have. That’s something we as leaders not just have to encourage but we also have to demand it.”

Otherwise, she said, “all I’m going to come up with is the same answers I would’ve come up with if I spent the time to come up with it myself.”

As a leader, Norton said it is her job to seek out perspectives unlike her own.

“We have to actually ask for the opinion of the people who have a different background … deliberately, not expecting them always to stand up and be bold and say things that are different in an audience where they may not feel empowered,” she said.

Norton gave a variety of advice to the mostly female crowd, such as the importance of mentorship and how to develop a career in a workforce typically dominated by men.

She likened her career in the Navy to hiking a tall mountain, something she enjoys doing in her free time.

“When you’re young and you’re thinking about your future, it’s really easy to stand back and look at the top of the mountain and say ‘I want to hike to the top of the mountain,'” Norton said.

But really, when hiking, she said, most of what you’re doing is “focusing on your footsteps in front of you.”

“I want to make sure that at every one of those junctions, I’m prepared for that steepness and that toughness of the that terrain of that hike,” Norton said. “But I also like to think about that at some point, you have to stop, pause and reflect back on ‘What have I won? What have I seen on that path?And Where am I going to go next as I continue to traverse up that path?'”

She’s been successful by taking things one step at a time, thinking about what she wanted to accomplish “not necessarily for the rest of my life, but for the next section of the trail that’s ahead of me. Am I prepared for that and is this really what I want to do?”

“And ultimately, that will lead you to the top of the mountain,” Norton said.

Next week, FedScoop will release it’s 2018 Top Women in Tech list, honoring female leaders in the federal IT community like Norton.

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