The Fed Mission Success Round Up: Critical Near-Term Decision on AI; VA Needs a Bigger Budget; and Anthropic Eyes FedRAMP Accreditation

Welcome to the Fed Mission Success News Round Up brought to you by Makpar. Each week, we will provide a summary of actionable news and insights to help aid in overall mission success for Federal agency IT decision-makers and influencers.

Feds’ Near-Term AI Decisions Among ‘Most Critical’

Federal government organizations face highly consequential decisions over the next year on how they choose to deploy artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and emphasized that much of the AI innovation is taking place via open-source software in which the company specializes, according to MeriTalk.

Trust and Security Are Top Concerns in the Public Sector’s Use of Generative AI, Survey Says

Public sector organizations overwhelmingly believe it is important for them to adopt generative artificial intelligence technologies but remain concerned about trust in the new capabilities, according to a survey from Amazon Web Services published last week.

VA Needs Bigger Budget to Draw Better Cyber Talent, CIO Says

Last week, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ top IT official told House lawmakers that a larger budget and the ability to pay certain government workers more would improve the agency’s cybersecurity posture, according to FedScoop.

Congress Should Designate an Entity to Oversee Data Security, GAO Says

Federal agencies may need to rethink how they handle individuals’ personal data to protect their civil rights and civil liberties, according to a recent GAO report.

House Passes Veterans’ Package Without EHR Accountability Measures

Last week, House lawmakers overwhelmingly passed a legislative package to enhance a range of services for veterans, but the measure noticeably did not include provisions that would have pushed the Department of Veterans Affairs to enhance oversight of its electronic health record modernization initiative.

Anthropic Eyes FedRAMP Accreditation in Quest to Sell More AI to Government

Anthropic, a major developer of large language models, has entered talks with some federal agencies about a potential sponsorship for a FedRAMP authorization that would allow the company to sell AI systems directly to the government, according to FedScoop.