The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has recently launched the Federal Program Inventory (FPI) that brings data from 2,300 federal programs under one platform.

U.S. citizens, along with oversight bodies and congressional stakeholders will be able to access critical information about all Federal programs that provide grants, loans, or direct payments to individuals, governments, firms or other organizations. 

The inventory leverages existing government data sources, including SAM.gov and USASpending.gov, to create an easy-to-use website for accessing program information.

 “This tool serves a critical step towards increasing the transparency of federal operations and spending. Grounded in a vision of an equitable, effective, and accountable government that delivers results for all Americans, OMB will work with stakeholders to iteratively improve the FPI,” the White House said.

OMB will collaborate with agencies to verify the alignment of listed programs with other authoritative sources of Federal assistance programs. Furthermore, OMB will facilitate the provision of additional information, including enhanced performance data, for each program.

Leveraging AI for better citizen services

OMB is also exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver better digital services to citizens. 

Since the launch of ChatGPT, many private organizations have started leveraging generative AI-powered chatbots to deliver better customer service. However, the bots are prone to hallucinations, meaning sometimes the responses generated by them are not factually correct.

Acknowledging the challenges associated with using AI, Jonathan Finch, Acting Director for Digital Experience in the OMB Federal CIO office said (in a webinar organized by ATARC)  that his department wants to ensure confidence among the citizens that the AI they will interact with, is accurate. 

“There’s certainly an opportunity to use AI in places to help with the customer experience to make it easier for folks to get answers to their questions,” he added.