President Biden’s executive order on AI, issued last October, set federal agencies on path to consider the adoption of generative AI in a safe and secure manner. While some agencies have expressed caution in using genAI, the EO discourages agencies from imposing broad general bans or blocks on agency use of generative AI and instead encourages them, with appropriate safeguards in place, to provide their personnel and programs with access to secure and reliable generative AI capabilities for the purposes of experimentation and routine tasks that carry a low risk of impacting Americans’ rights.

Still, the hype around generative AI, inside and outside government, is high, and there’s a propensity to see it as a panacea to fix all problems. But that’s not the case, according to Alison Smith, director of generative AI for Booz Allen Hamilton. Smith joins the Daily Scoop Podcast to explain how agencies should weigh whether generative AI is a good fit for a problem and what the federal generative AI landscape looks like today.

Generative AI is not a panacea

NASA Pushes Back on Gao’s Cyber Recommendations for Spacecraft and trade groups say CISA's incident reporting requirements go too far.

NASA Pushes Back on Gao’s Cyber Recommendations for Spacecraft

The IRS says it could run out of money to support modernization 

And, U.S. Cyber Command adds to its top brass

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The IRS says it could run out of money to support modernization

With all of the critical cyberattacks executed through the software supply chain in recent years, you’re sure to have heard about SBOMs, or software bills of materials, which are essentially ingredients lists of the components that make up a piece of software. The Biden administration in its 2021 cybersecurity executive order introduced new guidance for how federal agencies should request SBOMs from vendors when purchasing software so they can better understand what it’s made of and protect against attacks down the supply chain.

The Department of Homeland Security, through its Science and Technology Directorate, is advancing federal work on SBOMs, namely through a program led by its Silicon Valley Innovation Program. In partnership with CISA, the Silicon Valley Innovation Program in 2023 awarded funding to a cohort of startups to broadly promote the use of SBOMs by developing two core software modules—a multi-format SBOM translator and a software component identifier translator—to be delivered as open-source libraries which, in turn, will be integrated with their SBOM enabled commercial products. Just recently, that cohort delivered the first of those two tools. 

Joining the Daily Scoop to discuss the need for SBOMs broadly, the cohort’s progress and what’s next are Melissa Oh, managing director of DHS’s Silicon Valley Innovation Program, and Anil John, SVIP technical manager.

Inside DHS’s work to drive wider use of SBOMs

Today on the Daily Scoop podcast from the Scoop News group, a supercomputer sandbox for testing federal AI and evaluating the nation's cyber security posture.

A Supercomputer Sandbox for Testing Federal AI

More than 60 companies join CISA’s pledge to be Secure by Design 

And, Chuck Schumer says an AI roadmap is coming soon from the Senate AI working group.

More than 60 companies join CISA’s pledge to be Secure by Design

The Pentagon launches new initiatives for a to reciprocity and digital modernization and the USDS touts its impact over the past year.

The Pentagon Launches New Initiatives for ATO Reciprocity and Digital Modernization

The US and China are Meeting This Week to Talk AI Safety

Just recently, federal agencies met some of the key requirements set forth in the Biden administration’s AI executive order that were to be completed within the first 180 days, signaling strong momentum for the federal government establishing a strong foundation of AI development and responsible use.

Nick Sinai, former U.S. deputy CTO during the Obama administration and now a senior adviser for the venture capital and private equity firm Insight Partners, which focuses on investing in software firms, joins the Daily Scoop to discuss the momentum of the AI EO, a trip he took last year to U.S. Central Command in the Middle East and what he learned there, what federal officials should be thinking about with the election coming up, and much more.

Former U.S. Deputy CTO Nick Sinai joins the podcast

NSF Funding Cuts Present a National Security Issue and new TMF investments boost agency projects and generative A I digital service delivery and accessibility.

NSF Funding Cuts Present a National Security Issue

Earlier this month, the RSA Conference in San Francisco drew crowds of tens of thousands of cybersecurity experts and practitioners, including a huge cohort of cyber officials from the federal government. One of those was Bailey Bickley, the chief of defense industrial base cybersecurity at the NSA.

I caught up with Bickley during some of her downtime at RSA to discuss the big takeaways from this year’s conference, as well as all of the work the NSA is doing to help bolster the security of defense contractors, particularly smaller ones that can’t always afford to secure themselves. From CMMC and the new DIB cyber strategy to the free services the NSA is providing to members of the DIB community, we cover it all. Now, let’s go to my conversation with Bailey Bickley.

Inside the NSA’s work to boost defense industrial base cybersecurity

A podcast covering the latest news & trends facing top government leaders on topics such as technology, management & workforce. Hosted by Billy Mitchell on FedScoop and released every Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

Generative AI is not a panacea

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