Cost Estimating NewsBrief: September 27, 2024
Army wants more agile approach to software, including how it buys it
(Federal News Network) The Army is in the midst of a big push to modernize its software development processes, and not just talking about the code-writing part. Its agreements with industry might be about to change in significant ways as the service tries to make its contracting for software as agile as the development process itself. The Army planted a major flag in the ground to define its future software practices back in March, when the service published a new directive ordering the embrace of modern methodologies. Read More
Army’s new AI tool helps target qualified prospects
(Federal News Network) A new artificial intelligence tool is helping the Army refine its recruitment process, as the service continues to overhaul the way it brings in new recruits amid recruiting troubles that have plagued the service for more than a decade. The new tool enables recruiters to analyze massive data sets — it combs through over 30 million applicant files and uses 1,700 different variables to generate highly refined prospect lists. The goal is to filter the data and identify individuals who have already shown a propensity for or interest in joining the service. Read More
Bill ordering DHS to explore AI for border security passes House
(FedScoop) A bipartisan bill requiring the Department of Homeland Security to explore how artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies could be used to secure the border passed the House on Monday, teeing it up for a potential Senate partner in the weeks ahead. The Emerging Innovative Border Technologies Act from Reps. Lou Correa, D-Calif., and Morgan Luttrell, R-Texas, passed the chamber by unanimous consent, a little more than five months after it was introduced and quickly advanced out of the House Homeland Security Committee. Read More
Could Europa Clipper find life?
(The Planetary Society) For a mission that doesn’t aim to find alien life, Europa Clipper may come surprisingly close. Through years of development up to today — only weeks away from the mission’s launch — NASA has been clear: Europa Clipper will not reveal alien life. The spacecraft will fly by Jupiter’s moon Europa, study the ocean of liquid water beneath the world’s icy surface, and investigate whether the right conditions for life might possibly exist there — but it won’t discover life itself. It’s not designed to. Read More
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