Dive Brief:
- The White House Office of Management and Budget issued its first governmentwide policy on AI Thursday. OMB will require agencies to implement safeguards when using AI, improve transparency and develop the AI workforce.
- The Biden administration plans to hire 100 AI professionals by this summer, and agencies will upskill employees to fill gaps.
- “As federal agencies increasingly adopt AI, they must also not leave the existing federal workforce behind,” Shalanda Young, OMB director, said during a press call Wednesday. “The policy directs agencies to develop their existing workforces to help them take advantage of AI.”
Dive Insight:
For the U.S. government to reach its AI aspirations, the White House must overcome a hurdle enterprises can relate to: a lack of skills.
The hiring push follows an October executive order and is part of a broader White House effort to ensure AI safety and security. Federal agencies have now delivered on all of the actions the Biden administration ordered completed within 150 days, the announcement said.
Fortifying its AI talent pool should help federal authorities maintain momentum. Abroad, discussions around regulating AI have also become more concrete as the European Union moves to implement the EU AI Act, which it approved on March 13.
There’s a strong push from leaders across industries, and around the world, for people to level up their AI skills, from enforcers to employees and IT staff.
Employees have the upper hand in the fight for AI talent. Job seekers with generative AI skills can expect a nearly 50% salary boost when compared to their counterparts, according to Indeed.
The imbalance between supply and demand has pushed organizations to rethink compensation strategies. The Office of Personnel Management issued agency guidance on pay, work and leave flexibilities for AI roles to improve retention in February.
Organizations — including the federal government — are also focused on upskilling existing workers.
The 2025 fiscal year President’s Budget includes an additional $5 million to expand a governmentwide AI training program. Last year, the program brought in nearly 5,000 participants from 78 federal agencies, according to the administration.
