Winter 2019/2020 Edition

For decades, governments have developed policy and programmatic frameworks that promote collecting, analyzing, deciding on, and disseminating information in ways that drive better results and make most effective use of public resources. In the U.S. government, law and policy—ranging from the Paperwork Reduction Act and E-Government Act to the Privacy and Federal Information Management and Security Act—have guided agency actions around using and protecting information, based primarily on effective management of information systems that store that information.

In the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks on the United States, Congress created the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF), which provided compensation for economic and noneconomic loss to individuals, or the personal representative of individuals, who were killed or physically injured in the attacks.

Americans are increasingly dependent on timely, reliable, and accurate information on weather, water, and climate for the protection of life and property, as well as the enhancement of the nation’s economy.

Federal agencies are hardly immune to the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune” and uncertainty.

An effective and efficient U.S. federal government requires evidence about where needs are greatest, what works and what does not work, where and how programs could be improved, and how programs of yesterday may no longer be suited for today.

The single most important responsibility of government is securing the homeland—protecting a nation from terrorists and the instruments of terror, while at the same time, fostering the country’s economic security through lawful travel and trade.

In our first discussion, we highlight two case studies. The first is how the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), used AI to make tedious tasks a thing of the past. The second case focuses on how the U.S. Department of the Air Force is applying AI to conquer the complexities of federal purchasing.

The next contribution to this forum explores the benefits of AI, but also underscores the importance for government agencies to manage real and perceived risks associated with AI. What follows is excerpted from the report More Than Meets AI—Part II: Building Trust, Managing Risk, with a focus on significant challenges such as bias, security, transparency, employee knowledge, and federal budget and procurement processes.

The Port of Rotterdam is the largest port in Europe. From all indications, the port is preparing for the future today, focusing on safety, efficiency, and sustainability.

“Open” tournaments in sports—such as the U.S. Open in tennis or golf—bring together the best players in the world, and the public sees high performance achieved as the field narrows. But a key feature of open competitions is the possibility of new entrants who bring innovative play to qualifying tournaments that precede the main tournament. These new entrants can develop approaches that allow them to raise the level of play for all players based on creative strategies, and strong execution.

My favorite place to take my daughters when they were growing up was the Sony Wonder Technology Lab in New York City. The museum had a display case that included every step in the evolution of each of their core technologies: music players, cameras, phones.

Big data has revolutionized the delivery of business and government services.