What’s New This Week:
Risky (Cyber) Business
As the partial government shutdown wrapped up its fourth week, it became the longest in U.S. history. Ironically, the shutdown is likely to cost more than President Donald Trump’s border wall. Cybersecurity experts are now warning that the nation is at risk of a major cyberattack, with thousands of workers not present to monitor defense systems or handle upgrades and repairs. Other parts of the government are also feeling the effects, but more on that later.
Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated. That’s why the Army is looking for equally sophisticated technologies—like artificial intelligence and machine learning—to defend its networks against such attacks. “The Army wants to pit AI against AI in cyberspace,” explains BGOV’s Chris Cornillie in this week’s exclusive story, which explores how the Army envisions acquiring tech that can autonomously detect and address software vulnerabilities and network misconfigurations.
In fact, AI will be a big part of the Army’s future acquisitions, especially in air missile defense and other weapons systems. The Army’s new AI Task Force has partnered with Carnegie Mellon University on research and development projects focused on AI and robotics. While there is some controversy surrounding the use of AI in weapons systems, Army acquisition head Bruce Jette said the technology is necessary.
The Army is one of many federal agencies that see a promise in AI and its potential uses. However, the U.S. still lacks a national AI strategy, compared with more than a dozen other nations that have already published their own. Congress should step up its game to ensure that the U.S. stays competitive in AI innovation, the Center for a New American Security’s Paul Scharre wrote in a recent article. Increasing government spending for AI research and focusing on recruiting (and retaining) AI talent should be a priority, Scharre said.
Speaking of other things that regulators should be doing: approving some highly anticipated crypto-related investment products. Reportedly, the government shutdown might be making “crypto winter”—which refers to a rough patch that cryptocurrencies have been going through—even worse.
Although the Office of Personnel Management is closed, the National Background Investigations Bureau is chipping away at a massive backlog of 600,000-plus background investigations. Meanwhile, the Trump administration continues to recall thousands of furloughed federal employees to work—without pay.
It’s difficult to tell when things will go back to normal, given the long-lasting effects of the shutdown. We’ll be bringing you more updates next week. For now, here’s some other news you can use.