Mina Hsiang. Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Courtesy of OMB
The United States Digital Service is increasingly looking to AI as it helps the federal government improve its tech operations.
Why it matters: The agency is in charge of consulting the government on IT and how to improve the websites and apps that many Americans rely on, such as the IRS' tax filing systems and the Department of Veteran Affairs' services portal.
Driving the news: We sat down with USDS administrator Mina Hsiang at the Collision conference in Toronto last week, where she spoke about how to use tech to strengthen democracy.
- Hsiang, an engineer, helped rescue the HealthCare.gov website in 2013 when Americans across the country were struggling to get health insurance after the passage of the Affordable Care Act.
Now, with the explosion of AI, Hsiang says she sees many opportunities for fraud detection, predictive analytics and tools to give customer service "superpowers."
- For example, USDS is exploring opportunities for AI to assist customer service representatives to answer questions faster through tools that aid in onboarding and training, Hsiang said.
- USDS has been using AI to analyze large volumes of call center data to help classify calls and identify drivers of wait times at the Social Security Administration.
- And USDS is working with the Department of Homeland Security on AI framework pilots, including helping FEMA with disaster preparedness planning.
Our thought bubble: Obtaining government services online can be slow and frustrating, but AI could potentially improve that experience.
- Hsiang said humans will still be involved in making important decisions and that USDS is looking to hire experienced technologists.
