b'ViewpointsAndrew Fairbanks is Federal Market Leader, IBM Global Business Services.to change the ways in which they conduct predictiveenabling the automation of labor-intensive processes, which maintenance on their weapons systems, train and deploysignificantly reduces taxpayer costs and expedites reviews.personnel, execute supply chain transactions, and conduct war gaming exercises. The use of unmanned aerial vehiclesEthical Considerationsand driverless land vehicles enables the military to greatlyThe era of the cognitive enterprise is upon us and presents expand its impact, while reducing manpower needs and riskgreat opportunities for transforming the delivery of government to military personnel. services. We are at a moment that is analogous to the move from the Sony Walkman and Boombox and the move from the In the world of homeland security, the application of artificialPolaroid camera to the digital smart phone. The application intelligence to video and image recognition is enabling theof cognitive technologies will change the ways in which Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to improve thegovernment services are delivered in profound ways. quality of its vetting of crews and passengers and its searches of baggage for dangerous contraband. The Federal EmergencyBut unlike the worlds of music and photography, there are Management Agency (FEMA) is able to use weather andimportant ethical considerations that we must consider as we sensor data to better predict and mitigate risk of damage byapply cognitive technologies to the delivery of government flood and fire. And Customs and Border Protection (CBP)services. We must recognize that the move to automate can agencies are able to apply biometric data to significantlydisplace jobs; we must be mindful that the use of sensors and improve the efficiency of border control processes. pervasive video can impede on individual privacy; and we must be aware that the application of technology to automate The use of natural language processing is also enablingdecision making in certain defense and intelligence functions agencies to create automated help desk agents that enablewithout human intervention can lead to disastrous outcomes. employees and citizens to get quick and accurate answersWe need mechanisms in place to ensure that we reap the to questions that previously required long hold times oradvantages of these transformative technical innovations, while inconvenient visits to field offices. mitigating the risks of the unintended consequences.Healthcare is also being transformed by artificial intelligence.Leaderships RoleSystems such as Watson are able to ingest massive amountsTo realize the full potential of cognitive technologies in the of literature and research. The system can then be trainedpublic sector, we need leaders in government and industry to analyze the information and provide insight to expertswho do two things well. First, we must adopt a creative that improves diagnosis accuracy and speed. This capabilitymindset to imagine a world in which . . .We need people augments physicians and researchers and has the potentialwho understand our core mission and who understand to drive significant breakthroughs in medicine andhow cognitive technologies work to develop use cases improvements in medical care. and narratives for how missions and processes could be transformed through the use of artificial intelligence, machine And in civilian agencies, the adoption of artificial intelligencelearning, and other cognitive technologies. And secondly, to provide citizen self-service and automated reviews ofwe must approach decisions from an ethical postureapplication for social services and benefits is significantlytaking the time to understand the intended and unintended reducing the backlog of benefits claims and improving theconsequences of their actions to make sure that we areability to detect and reduce fraud. The technology is alsoacting responsibly.WINTER 2019 / 2020 IBM Center for The Business of Government 87'