People Are Key to Digital Transformation, Cybersecurity, Harnessing AI
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) and LLMs [large language models] will fundamentally transform the way we live our lives. Period,” said Karen Dahut, CEO of Google Public Service in her introductory remarks at the Google Public Sector Forum hosted by Scoop News Group last week in Washington, DC.
The FEDagent team spent the day attending sessions at the technology-focused forum, whose content focused on the intersection of security and AI.
Across the forum there was discussion in plenary and panel discussions around the workforce as key to harnessing the full potential of technology, improving delivery, and building trust in government.
“Don’t forget the human element when adopting new technology,” cautioned Jinyoung Englund, Defense Department’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office (CDAO) chief strategy officer for algorithmic warfare. “We need to make a concerted investment in people to have the training, education, and skills needed to succeed. We don’t want employees left behind.”
Katie Savage, Maryland state Chief Information Officer and former Pentagon IT executive, agreed with Englund, noting “the key as a leader is to invest in your team.” That investment will have a significant “effect on culture, bringing the rest of the organization along with you,” Savage continued. Savage also spoke about piloting initiatives on a small scale to foster learning and building momentum toward advancing bigger change, as reported by StateScoop.
“The center of all we do needs to be people,” noted Katy Kale, Deputy Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA).
Kale highlighted the President’s Management Agenda’s focus on leveraging technology and human-centered design to improve government service delivery and ultimately trust in government, and how critical workforce investments are to achieving those goals.