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Cost Estimating NewsBrief: March 8, 2024
Bipartisan bill would codify federal standards for agency AI use
(FedScoop) House Democrats and Republicans have teamed up on new legislation that would set standards for federal agency use of artificial intelligence and require proper training for workers that assist with the use of AI. The Federal AI Governance and Transparency Act, introduced by House Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., and ranking member Jamie Raskin, D-Md., focuses on enhanced oversight, transparency and the implementation of responsible use of AI tools throughout federal agencies by codifying “federal governance of agency AI systems” and consolidating existing AI laws, according to a release. Read More
Regulators should consider 3 factors for AI safety, former national cyber director says
(NextGov/FCW) Artificial Intelligence and machine learning systems should be treated holistically, focusing on both the technology and societal components, according to former National Cyber Director Chris Inglis, who offered his perspective on the future policy direction for AI technologies during a National Artificial Intelligence Advisory Committee meeting held on Tuesday. “Any system of interest is composed of technology, people and doctrine,” he said. “And the system’s performance depends on all three of these; no one of those factors — technology, people or doctrine — can wholly account for deficiency in another one of those.” Read More
Agencies face ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ to sell real estate they don’t need. Will it happen?
(Federal News Network) A six-year experiment meant to help the federal government quickly sell or dispose of its underutilized real estate is running out of time. Congress created the Public Buildings Reform Board as a small, independent agency under the 2016 Federal Assets Sale and Transfer Act (FASTA), to help the federal government’s landlord, the General Services Administration, identify federal buildings and properties that agencies no longer need, and to sell or repurpose them. In fiscal 2022, the 24 largest federal agencies owned nearly a quarter million buildings, covering more than 2.4 billion square feet, according to the latest GSA data. That portfolio of owned buildings accounts for more than $16 billion in annual costs. Read More
Space Force Futures Command won’t need ‘giant’ resources
(Breaking Defense) he new Space Force Futures Command will be created primarily by amalgamating existing resources, meaning that there shouldn’t be a need for “giant growth” in either manpower or funding, according to the service official in charge of its standup. “We think most of Futures exists today,” Lt. Gen. Shawn Bratton, deputy chief of space operations, strategy, plans, programs and requirements, told the Potomac Officers Club 2024 Space Summit on Tuesday. Bratton was named to the deputy slot in December, pinning on his third star. Read More
Meet the newest member of your team: the chief AI officer
(Route Fifty) Oklahoma turned heads late last year with a report that called for creating a new C-suite position, a chief artificial intelligence officer. The report, authored by a governor-formed task force on emerging technologies, said the role would be “pivotal” in overseeing implementation of the technology across state government. It further defined the CAIO role by laying out a candidate’s requisite experience, including a STEM degree, at least 10 years of experience in developing AI systems and innovation programs, and a background in developing budgets for emerging technology and AI risk management programs. Read More
New AI model could streamline operations in a robotic warehouse
(Science Daily) Hundreds of robots zip back and forth across the floor of a colossal robotic warehouse, grabbing items and delivering them to human workers for packing and shipping. Such warehouses are increasingly becoming part of the supply chain in many industries, from e-commerce to automotive production. However, getting 800 robots to and from their destinations efficiently while keeping them from crashing into each other is no easy task. It is such a complex problem that even the best path-finding algorithms struggle to keep up with the breakneck pace of e-commerce or manufacturing. Read More
AI Enhances Detection of Tiny Space Debris, Paving Way for Safer Space Operations
(Space Daily) The escalating challenge of space debris in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) has sparked significant concern among space agencies and operators. With thousands of satellites, spent rocket stages, and fragments from disintegration and collisions whirling around the Earth, the risk of potentially hazardous collisions has never been higher. Traditional radar and radio-telescope systems, while effective to a degree, often fall short when it comes to detecting the smaller, yet equally dangerous, metallic fragments scattered across space. Read More
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