It was just two years ago that artificial intelligence seemed to burst onto the government agenda. In August 2016 then-President Barack Obama was the guest editor for an issue of Wired magazine and spoke with head of the MIT Media Lab Joi Ito about AI and its implications. "Early in a technology, a thousand flowers should bloom," Obama said. "And the government should add a relatively light touch, investing heavily in research and making sure there's a conversation between basic research and applied research." Two months later, the Obama administration released a report on AI, A broad overview of the emerging technology, the report dedicated just a few pages to how the government could benefit from AI.