The Office of Management and Budget will soon issue a new memo to facilitate agency procurement of artificial intelligence technologies.
Federal Deputy CIO Drew Myklegard said Tuesday at FedTalks produced by FedScoop that in addition to all the milestones the Biden administration has achieved since issuing its landmark AI executive order last fall, the OMB has developed guidance to ensure federal agencies follow best practices when acquiring AI technologies.
“We have done a lot of listening and gathering feedback and hearing from people from all over the world – this is one of the areas where the federal government … really needs to take action,” Myklegard said.
The upcoming memo follows the March 28 release of more comprehensive OMB guidelines on federal AI adoption with a focus on governance, risk and transparency.
Myklegard did not provide a specific timeline for the publication of these guidelines, but the executive order called on OMB to “provide an initial means of ensuring that agency contracts for the acquisition of AI systems and services are consistent with” OMB’s previous AI guidelines within 180 days of their publication – that is, by September 24.
FedScoop has reached out to OMB for further details on the planned release of the memo.
Along with this earlier memo with guidance on federal AI, OMB issued a request for information on responsible AI procurement in March “to inform future OMB actions to regulate AI use under federal contracts.” The request for information, signed by Myklegard and Christine Harada, acting director of federal procurement policy, asked for general feedback in the areas of strengthening the federal AI marketplace and managing AI performance and risks.
“We hope we get this memo right,” Myklegard said of the AI procurement guidelines. “We hope we get the procurements right, but we’re constantly learning, so we’ll keep working on it in an iterative way.”
Separate from the AI executive order’s requirement, Senate lawmakers also drafted a bill in June that would require federal agencies to assess the risks of artificial intelligence technologies before purchasing and deploying them.
In addition, the OMB began AI training last week for staff in management and policy functions as well as for procurement officers, the federal government’s deputy CIO announced, “because we know how important this is in purchasing.”
Myklegard said it is important that not only federal employees in technical roles receive training in AI, but also that personnel in other functions, such as policy and procurement, receive this training “so that when people in the federal government encounter problems, they know how to use AI and how to best use it.”
Myklegard also noted that the IT workforce is key to ensuring that the progress made in technology policy in AI and several other areas during the Biden administration will continue when a new president takes office in January.
“The entire leadership team is really focused on the next generation of IT leaders” to ensure continuity between administrations, he said. “Our focus is really on the (career officials) on our team, within the OMB. We’re focused on our people and how we get through this period and how we provide stability, because whatever the outcome, the federal government must continue to fulfill its mission.”
