The Daily Scoop Podcast

Last week, House leaders formally announced the creation of a new bipartisan task force on artificial intelligence — an effort that marks a major step forward in efforts to legislate with representation from both parties. Rep. Yvette Clarke — a Democrat from New York who was one of the first members of Congress to call out the potential harms of artificial intelligence — is one of 24 members on that task force. In an interview with FedScoop’s Rebecca Heilweil, Clarke discusses her expectations for serving on the bipartisan task force, what concerns her most about the technology and the prospects for regulatory and legislative action.

For several years now, the Department of Veterans Affairs has been exploring how AI can lead to better outcomes for the veterans it serves. The National AI Institute has been an essential part of that, most recently leading tech sprints in conjunction with last year’s AI executive order aiming to reduce healthcare worker burnout. Joining me to discuss that and much more is Dr. Gil Alterovitz, the director of VA’s National AI Institute and chief AI officer for the Veterans Health Administration. He was also previously the first chief AI officer for the larger Department of Veterans Affairs.

The podcast delves into the future of the TIC program as CISA launches a Zero Trust Initiative Office. It discusses the challenges in Veterans Affairs' Electronic Health Record Modernization and the evolution of TIC alongside Zero Trust in federal agencies. The transition from TIC-2 to TIC-3 and the importance of cloud security and AI in enhancing security measures are also explored.

The NSA discusses major cybersecurity trends for 2024, Chinese cyber operations targeting U.S. critical infrastructure, challenges in cybersecurity defense for the defense industrial base, evolution of cybersecurity partnerships, emerging trends in AI security and cyber threats, and exploring open source models in national security perspectives.

Daily Scoop listeners are going to be very familiar with the body of work of this episode’s guest. She’s a former deputy federal CIO, CIO of the Small Business Administration and CTO of the Transportation Department, among the many other roles she held during her vast career in federal IT before retiring in 2022. I’m of course speaking of the one and only Maria Roat. Now serving in several board roles, Roat is still fairly active advising in the federal IT space. In our conversation, we discuss what she’s focused on since departing federal service, how she sees the government going about adoption of artificial intelligence, how agency IT leaders must be thoughtful in balancing AI, security and user experience, and much, much more. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

We’re back with part two of a two-part interview with Egon Rinderer, chief technologist for Shift 5 and a former operator for the U.S. Navy. In part one we discussed a new round of bonuses the Air Force authorized worth up to $600,000 to retain existing manned aircraft and drone pilots, combat systems operators and air battle managers — and how the challenges the service is facing in keeping airmen on board go beyond money. For the second half of our conversation, we get deeper into the role tech plays in the U.S. military’s shifting competitive landscape to focus on great power competitors and the new threats services face like GPS spoofing and small-scale drones. Let’s pick up the conversation where the first episode left off. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

The Air Force in December approved a new round of bonuses worth up to $600,000 that are designed to retain existing manned aircraft and drone pilots, combat systems operators and air battle managers. The move showcases the challenges the service is facing in keeping airmen on board. But according to my guest, despite the major financial incentive, that may not be enough. Egon Rinderer, chief technologist for Shift 5 and a former operator for the U.S. Navy, joins me to discuss the Air Force’s retention challenge and how the tech airmen work with everyday plays into that. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

Explore the latest in federal zero trust adoption with insights from CISA's Sean Connelly. Learn about the evolution of Trusted Internet Connections program, the importance of IT modernization for cybersecurity outcomes, and the challenges agencies face. Discover the transition from Tick 2 to Tick 3 for enhanced security, the shift to cloud solutions, and the impact of the Technology Modernization Fund in agency modernization.

Last week, Scoop News Group partnered with Google Public Sector to host the Google Defense Forum. The tremendous lineup of defense officials representing the Pentagon, a variety of military services and other defense agencies kicked off with a fireside chat between myself and retired four-star Gen. Dave Goldfein, who served as the chief of staff of the Department of the Air Force. Now the chairman of the board for Google Public Sector, Goldfein shared during our conversation why he decided to join Google, how the defense technology landscape is changing and the technologies he’s most excited about transforming the Department of Defense. The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon. If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

Over the past year, FedScoop has led coverage of the flurry of AI developments coming out of the federal government and the supprounding legislative and commercial space. In particular, the team’s reporters have kept a close watch on how agencies are adopting AI technologies in a responsible and transparent manner Joining the podcast to discuss that and more are FedScoop reporters Madison Alder and Rebecca Heilweil.