AI faces growing pains in the federal workplace -- FCW

More and more, federal agencies are looking to integrate artificial intelligence and automation into their day-to-day workplace functions, particularly to implement internal controls and compliance measures to counteract fraud and improve efficiency. At a Sept. 18 Association of Government Accountants (AGA) event, experts in AI and robotic process automation from public- and private-sector organizations stressed that automating lower-level functions, such as data processing claims, would free up employees to work on higher functions that require more analytical skills and mission-specific duties. "Artificial intelligence operates in real time to enable personalized experiences," said Dan Chenok, executive director of IBM's Center for the Business of Government and a former government official. Comparing AI to the chat boxes that often accompany internet users when they're shopping online, Chenok pointed out that such technologies are constantly building upon themselves to improve users' experiences and stamp out common problems that users may encounter when using a government website. AI and RPA also allow workers to identify patterns of potential fraud or other misuse, according to Jennifer Main, the chief operating officer for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services.