While many of these actions are still preliminary, growing focus on the technology signals that federal officials expect to not only govern but eventually use generative AI. 

A majority of the civilian federal agencies that fall under the Chief Financial Officers Act have either created guidance, implemented a policy, or temporarily blocked the technology, according to a FedScoop analysis based on public records requests and inquiries to officials. The approaches vary, highlighting that different sectors of the federal government face unique risks — and unique opportunities — when it comes to generative AI. 

As of now, several agencies, including the Social Security Administration, the Department of Energy, and Veterans Affairs, have taken steps to block the technology on their systems. Some, including NASA, have or are working on establishing secure testing environments to evaluate generative AI systems. The Agriculture Department has even set up a board to review potential generative AI use cases within the agency. 

Some agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development, have discouraged employees from inputting private information into generative AI systems. Meanwhile, several agencies, including Energy and the Department of Homeland Security, are working on generative AI projects. 

The Departments of Commerce, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, and Treasury did not respond to requests for comment, so their approach to the technology remains unclear. Other agencies, including the Small Business Administration, referenced their work on AI but did not specifically address FedScoop’s questions about guidance, while the Office of Personnel Management said it was still working on guidance. The Department of Labor didn’t respond to FedScoop’s questions about generative AI. FedScoop obtained details about the policies of Agriculture, USAID, and Interior through public records requests. 

The Biden administration’s recent executive order on artificial intelligence discourages agencies from outright banning the technology. Instead, agencies are encouraged to limit access to the tools as necessary and create guidelines for various use cases. Federal agencies are also supposed to focus on developing “appropriate terms of service with vendors,” protecting data, and “deploying other measures to prevent misuse of Federal Government information in generative AI.”

Agency policies on generative AI differ

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Booz moves to the private sector after a 25-year career in government, most recently as senior IT adviser within the Social Security Administration’s Office of Digital Transformation. Earlier in his career, he also worked at the National Security Agency for five years.

At Accenture, Booz will work within the consulting firm’s federal program and project management division, and his work will focus on Department of Defense contracts. He joins Accenture on Aug. 17.

At SSA, he worked as technical and strategic lead for multiple platforms and areas of IT infrastructure, including ServiceNow and Pega, Windows, Linux infrastructure, VMWare servers, cloud adoption and software consolidation. 

Booz joins the ranks of federal agency IT leaders who have left government services to join Accenture. In 2020, former Air Force CIO Bill Marion moved to the company, taking up the post of managing director of growth and strategy within the company’s defense and intelligence practice. 

A spokesperson for AFS confirmed his appointment.

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