OMB Seeks to Leverage AI to Deliver Better Digital Services

The United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is exploring the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to deliver better digital services to citizens.

“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,” Jonathan Finch, Acting Director for Digital Experience in the OMB Federal CIO office said, during a webinar organized by ATARC.

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, Finch said that his department wants to ensure confidence among the citizens that the AI they will interact with, is accurate.

“That’s the part that we’re really focused on. When the public uses a tool to get an answer, we want them to be confident that that is the right answer for them, especially when it’s about accessing a government service or government benefits,” he said.

In November 2023, OMB released a new draft policy called “Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence,” just weeks after President Biden signed a much-anticipated executive order regulating AI.

The policy aims to enhance AI oversight by instructing federal departments and agencies to implement measures to strengthen AI governance, promote responsible AI innovation, and effectively manage risks associated with AI utilization.