Ready or not, here I come, you can't hide. Gonna find you and take it slowly..
The federal government technology landscape continues to evolve rapidly as we enter yet another calendar year. In 2010, the government focused on adopting cloud technology, educating agencies on how to procure cloud, alleviating security fears through implementing FedRAMP, and reducing operational costs associated with implementing cloud-based solutions. A little over a decade later, technology evolution momentum continues. In 2023, the federal government is actively promoting the federal use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and accompanying technologies such as machine learning (ML). The intent is to Scale AI solutions at speed, integrating people, processes, data, and technology.
While various technologies exist, and AI solution delivery service providers are rising; a few questions continue to persist:
· What are the barriers to AI adoption today across the federal government?
· What are the low-hanging fruits for achieving quick wins?
· What easy-to-implement use cases reflect a return on investment (ROI)?
· Who are the early adopters?
· What are the lessons learned?
· Once implemented, what is the ease of maintaining or integrating the AI solutions within the enterprise environment?
The urgent need to integrate AI solutions in the current agency technology landscape has been acknowledged.
· So, what are the barriers preventing or slowing down AI adoption?
· Are agencies aware of the obstacles they face that prevent AI adoption?
· Do agencies have a robust AI implementation strategy and transition roadmap before executing their vision?
· What common security risks are associated with AI adoption, and how can we remediate them?
· Have agencies uncovered the starting point or simple use case to begin their AI journey?
· How do agencies measure success?
Whether your organization is new to AI, scaling up existing AI solutions, or interested in maturing the enterprise AI journey, the best place to begin assessing and increasing your AI adoption organization readiness and maturity would be by addressing the key questions noted in this article.
· Are you ready to begin your AI adoption and maturation journey?
· Have you conducted an organization readiness assessment and prepared a gap analysis report to ascertain organization maturity and use cases to implement AI?
· Have you discovered and captured the business problems you want to solve by implementing AI capabilities?
· Have you established an enterprise-wide AI adoption and implementation strategy?
· Do you have AI implementation roadmap that aligns with your AI strategy?
· Do you have a mature data management strategy and high-quality/available data?
· Have you identified and documented the technology barriers preventing the adoption of AI due to legacy infrastructure and systems?
· Do you have the right talent pool and subject matter expertise to deliver on the AI roadmap?
· Are you aware of your cultural and environmental barriers slowing AI adoption?
· Do you have process and governance maturity to enable the smooth implementation of AI solutions?
· Are there ethical constraints due to concerns around the trust, transparency, fairness, and audibility of AI solutions? Do you have policies, plans and resources to address them?
· Are you concerned about implementing AI solutions with poor security posture (Privacy, Security, compliance)?
· Is vendor lock-in concern an issue?
· Are you unsure how to procure AI solutions through innovative acquisition strategies?
Address these questions and develop a detailed action plan for your organization to commence your technology modernization journey.
So, what is stopping you? Embark on your AI adoption journey now!
If the contents of this article resonate with the challenges your organization is facing and the discussions you are having within your organization, please reach out to us. Let’s collaborate to brainstorm, plan, define and achieve AI adoption and implementation objectives and milestones for your organization.
Saiyed, S.S. (2023). Artificial intelligence (AI) adoption readiness [White Paper]. Retrieved January 23, 2023, from Seventh Sense Consulting