Advertise on podcast: GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts

Tommy Gardner, CTO of HP Federal, joined us at CyberScape: The Federal Cybersecurity Summit to discuss the growing risks of adversarial AI as agencies accelerate adoption of the tech across mission-critical environments. He outlined how how threat actors are exploiting vulnerabilities in AI systems, from manipulating training data to probing model weaknesses. He also shared how agencies and organizations can build resilient AI systems, protect algorithms and data, and embed security into the development lifecycle without stalling innovation as threats become increasingly complex.

The Administrative Office of the Courts is using GIS to integrate security systems, enhance safety and improve the visitor experience. Kyle Yoder, threat management branch chief within the Judiciary Security Division, said GIS technology is helping the agency integrate applications that support incident management, public safety and physical security operations. Speaking with GovCIO Media & Research at Esri's FedGIS Conference in Washington, D.C., Yoder said the office is replacing disparate systems with a more unified platform. The updated approach enables virtual walkthroughs of court facilities to enhance visitor experience while allowing employees to familiarize themselves with safety procedures and equipment in a virtual environment.

Hemorrhage is the leading cause of preventable death on the battlefield. More than 90% of service members who die from uncontrolled bleeding do so before reaching a medical facility. At GovCIO Media & Research's Defense IT Summit, Jacques Reifman explained how APPRAISE, an AI-enabled decision support system, helps combat medics triage casualties near the point of injury and assess hemorrhage risk. By analyzing patterns in vital signs, including heart rate and blood pressure, APPRAISE can estimate the likelihood of hemorrhage, helping medics prioritize treatment and evacuation decisions in real time. Reifman said training large AI models for military medicine can be challenging because available medical datasets are often small and limited to controlled laboratory studies. To overcome that constraint, researchers use mathematical models to generate synthetic data, creating simulated patients that allow AI systems to train on much larger datasets.

After a three-year pause of the Department of Veterans Affairs Electronic Health Record Modernization (EHRM) program, the VA resumed rollout this past weekend with a renewed focus on governance, user experience and measurable outcomes. Deputy Secretary and Acting CIO Paul Lawrence joined HealthCast to discuss what the department learned during the pause and how those insights are shaping a more disciplined, forward-looking approach to modernization. Lawrence explained the role of newly added senior advisors in refining key areas like software development and field adoption, as well as the department's phased approach to upgrading critical components such as the pharmacy module. Looking ahead, Lawrence outlined how the VA is incorporating user feedback, enhancing system functionality and building a repeatable framework to scale modernization across the enterprise. He also discussed early feedback following the program's resumption and how those lessons will shape the VA's long-term digital transformation strategy.

The CDC is taking a major step forward in its approach to artificial intelligence with the release of a new four-year AI strategy, aimed at strengthening public health capabilities and modernizing data use across the agency. Outgoing acting Chief AI Officer Travis Hoppe discussed how years of foundational work have positioned the CDC to responsibly adopt and scale AI technologies. He underscored the importance of balancing innovation with federal compliance requirements, including FedRAMP authorization and rigorous cybersecurity standards, while maintaining strong partnerships with industry and state and local partners. As AI capabilities evolve, Hoppe underscores the importance of agility across federal IT leadership — continuously reassessing tools, guidance and workforce readiness to keep pace with a rapidly changing landscape.

With defense technology constantly evolving, the military services are looking to accelerate the discovery, development and deployment of emerging technologies. The Army launched its FUZE innovation engine last fall to fund promising technologies and move cutting-edge capabilities from prototype to operational use faster. Matthew Willis, FUZE director, said the program aligns with the Pentagon's broader push to accelerate technology adoption and modernize defense acquisition. Willis explained that FUZE consolidates several previously disconnected Army innovation efforts and overlays them with a venture-capital-style investment model. FUZE, Willis said, operates more like a Silicon Valley firm, taking calculated risks early, making multiple small investments, scaling successful technologies and quickly divesting from those that do not deliver results. Willis added that the Army must embrace risk tolerance, make "big bets" on the most critical capabilities and avoid spreading resources too thin.

The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) is accelerating efforts to define the future force through virtual wargaming, edge computing and autonomous systems. Brig. Gen. Simon Doran, MCWL's commanding general, joined AI GovCast to discuss how the lab is identifying emerging threats and developing the concepts and capabilities Marines will need over the next decade. Doran said the lab analyzes recent conflicts, including those in Ukraine and the Middle East, to extract operational lessons and apply them to advanced modeling and simulation. Doran also highlighted the development of the Neller Center for Wargaming and Analysis, a 100,000-square-foot facility in Quantico. The center will use physics-based models to test Marine Corps weapons and force design concepts against future threats in a virtual environment. By running thousands of simulated scenarios, MCWL can identify capability gaps and help inform where the Marine Corps should invest to remain lethal and survivable.

The administration's Genesis Mission aims to build an integrated ecosystem that connects supercomputers, AI systems and emerging quantum capabilities, calling on the Energy Department and its 17 national laboratories. Argonne National Laboratory's broad multidisciplinary research portfolio positions it to harness AI to accelerate scientific discovery, Associate Laboratory Director for the Computing, Environment and Life Sciences (CELS) Directorate Rick Stevens told GovCIO Media & Research. Stevens compared the urgency of the Genesis Mission to the Manhattan Project, citing intensifying global competition and rapid advances in AI. He also highlighted Argonne initiatives such as Synapse, which uses AI to accelerate imaging analysis, and Quarks to Cosmos, an effort to integrate large physics datasets to enable new scientific insights.

NOAA is integrating GPS and new gravity data to improve accuracy of its National Spatial Reference System. Guest: Galen Scott, NGS Constituent Manager, NOAA Description: As agencies increasingly rely on data to drive precise decision-making, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Geodetic Survey is modernizing the National Spatial Reference System to account for shifts in the Earth caused by tectonic plate movement. It hadn't been updated in 40 years. Speaking at the Esri FedGIS Conference in Washington, D.C., NOAA National Geodetic Survey Constituent Manager Galen Scott said the updated system integrates GPS technology, enabling more efficient methods to locate survey markers and collect field data. Scott said the modernized NSRS will also incorporate new gravity data through a geoid model, improving the accuracy of surface elevation measurements compared with legacy models. He added that NSRS data serves as foundational infrastructure for agencies supporting urban planning, infrastructure development and emergency response efforts.

Tiziana Barrow has built a career around cybersecurity and human risk, leading product marketing across some of the industry's most specialized domains like threat intelligence, OT/ICS security, risk quantification and supply chain risk. She's now channeling that experience into Safer Shift, a personal endeavor to build stories that bridge the physical and digital world with a bias toward changing behavior. She discussed why the most powerful tool for reducing human risk isn't technology, it's narrative — stories that make digital safety habits intuitive, accessible and human. In an AI-driven world, protecting people can't just be an enterprise priority. It has to be a personal one.

Col. Arlon Smith, director of Project Dynamis, discussed how the Marine Corps is working to rapidly deliver artificial intelligence capabilities to the tactical edge. He explained how Project Dynamis is leveraging cutting-edge commercial AI to help warfighters analyze and share data faster in increasingly complex battlefields filled with autonomous systems. Smith also highlighted the project's focus on joint interoperability and real-world testing with military partners. The effort aims to quickly turn emerging technologies into operational capabilities that give Marines a decisive advantage.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is modernizing its IT infrastructure to improve efficiency, security and access for patients and providers. Since taking the role in May, Wade Zarriello, director of infrastructure and user services, has led efforts to consolidate platforms, optimize shared services and cut costs — exceeding CMS's fiscal year 2025 savings goal by $750 million. Zarriello also discussed how the agency is implementing a zero trust cybersecurity framework and leveraging AI tools to strengthen data protection and operational reliability. He highlighted CMS's use of GSA OneGov agreements with AWS, Oracle and Salesforce to drive cost savings, improve platform consolidation and support hybrid cloud initiatives.

The Zscaler Public Sector Summit, Robert Roser, CISO, CDO and director of cybersecurity at Idaho National Laboratory, discussed the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape facing government and critical infrastructure. He joined GovCIO Media & Research at the event to explain how malicious actors are increasingly using AI to launch more sophisticated phishing campaigns and ransomware attacks while also lowering the barrier to entry for less-skilled hackers. He also shared how his team is strengthening defenses through zero trust principles, stronger identity protections and new guardrails for AI use. As cyber threats grow more complex, Roser emphasized that cybersecurity is not just an IT issue — it is a responsibility shared across the entire organization.

The Office of Personnel Management launched its Federal Workforce Data website in January, replacing FedScope, the 20-year-old repository for federal employment data. The new platform provides greater transparency into how the federal workforce operates, featuring monthly updates and interactive tables that offer deeper insight into workforce demographics. OPM Director Scott Kupor told GovCIO Media & Resesarch how the revamped site improves user experience and expands visibility into civilian agency operations. Kupor also explained how FWD could serve as a foundation for future consolidation of the federal government's disparate human resources systems.

The Department of the Navy is using AI across a range of mission areas. In the intelligence domain, the service is moving AI beyond experimental phases and integrating trustworthy AI into all warfighting functions, Christopher Page, deputy director of OPNAV's Intelligence Division, said on AI GovCast. Page said data quality depends on agreed-upon terms for modeling adversary and friendly forces. For AI implementation to be effective, he said, the Navy must adhere to a common taxonomy and lexicon, noting that "a cruiser needs to be a cruiser, a rowboat needs to be a rowboat." He added that the ultimate goal of the Navy's digital transformation is a hybrid fleet. The future force will feature expanded AI use across the department, autonomous systems that require less bandwidth, and integrated operations between manned and unmanned platforms.