The Fed Mission Success Round Up: GSA Prioritizes Generative AI in FedRAMP; NDAA to Give More Cyber Buying Power

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.

GSA Prioritizes Generative AI in FedRAMP Authorizations Under New Framework

The General Services Administration recently published a new framework that lays out how it will prioritize certain emerging technologies, with a particular focus on generative AI, as part of the FedRAMP cloud authorization process.

NDAA Amendment to Give More Authority to DoD Components to Buy Cyber Products

The Senate Armed Services Committee has introduced their version of the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2025, which would give the Defense Department components more authority to purchase alternative cybersecurity products and services.

DARPA Wants to Use AI to Find New Rare Minerals

DARPA has partnered with a company called HyperSpectral that applies artificial intelligence to spectroscopic data, which could be key to using satellites or drones to find minerals that would be difficult to detect otherwise.

Agencies Are ‘Very Early On’ in Generative AI Adoption, But Acceleration is Coming, AWS Leader Says

Despite all the hype and excitement showered on the federal government’s adoption of generative artificial intelligence in recent years, agencies are still “very early on” in the journey to use large language models, according to Amazon Web Services’ public sector leader.

DHS Invests in Digital Credential Technology

The Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate announced that six technology companies had been offered contracts to develop digital wallet services, part of an agency goal to advance digital technology used in the context of immigration and travel.

MITRE Releases Recommendations to Incoming Administration on AI Governance

Securing federal funding for artificial intelligence research and establishing an executive task force to monitor the development and use of AI should be prioritized in the first year of the next presidential term, according to a new policy document from MITRE.