In paving the way for artificial intelligence (AI) deployment, agencies are still attempting to catch up to modern technology, and National Science Foundation CIO Dorothy Aronson said that skipping generations of technology to catch up may be the best path.
Speaking at the FCW Summit event in D.C. today, rather than gradually build up to technological advancements that are already cutting edge, Aronson said that Federal agencies will have to skip over generations of technology. To do so will require Federal employees and stakeholders to buy-in fully.
“And I really believe we have to do the jump,” Aronson said during the event, “and that’s very hard because of the people—all of the people—involved in making that … adopting the mindset.”
She added that it will take a lot of people working together and people who have never worked together before, in addition to adopting this mindset of skipping a few generations of tech. When talking about the workforce, Aronson mentioned that she sees the influence of technology that people like their everyday lives, but still sees people who have respect for the old ways of completing tasks.
“How much help does a scientist want evaluating a proposal? They might not want your help,” Aronson said as an example. “I do see difficulty in managing the change in the way people work,” she added. More people will have to lean in and get excited about the changes that technology can bring to spark buy-in from stakeholders.
