GovCIO Media & Research Podcasts

The CDC is taking a major step forward in its approach to artificial intelligence with the release of a new four-year AI strategy, aimed at strengthening public health capabilities and modernizing data use across the agency. Outgoing acting Chief AI Officer Travis Hoppe discussed how years of foundational work have positioned the CDC to responsibly adopt and scale AI technologies. He underscored the importance of balancing innovation with federal compliance requirements, including FedRAMP authorization and rigorous cybersecurity standards, while maintaining strong partnerships with industry and state and local partners. As AI capabilities evolve, Hoppe underscores the importance of agility across federal IT leadership — continuously reassessing tools, guidance and workforce readiness to keep pace with a rapidly changing landscape.

With defense technology constantly evolving, the military services are looking to accelerate the discovery, development and deployment of emerging technologies. The Army launched its FUZE innovation engine last fall to fund promising technologies and move cutting-edge capabilities from prototype to operational use faster. Matthew Willis, FUZE director, said the program aligns with the Pentagon's broader push to accelerate technology adoption and modernize defense acquisition. Willis explained that FUZE consolidates several previously disconnected Army innovation efforts and overlays them with a venture-capital-style investment model. FUZE, Willis said, operates more like a Silicon Valley firm, taking calculated risks early, making multiple small investments, scaling successful technologies and quickly divesting from those that do not deliver results. Willis added that the Army must embrace risk tolerance, make "big bets" on the most critical capabilities and avoid spreading resources too thin.

The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) is accelerating efforts to define the future force through virtual wargaming, edge computing and autonomous systems. Brig. Gen. Simon Doran, MCWL's commanding general, joined AI GovCast to discuss how the lab is identifying emerging threats and developing the concepts and capabilities Marines will need over the next decade. Doran said the lab analyzes recent conflicts, including those in Ukraine and the Middle East, to extract operational lessons and apply them to advanced modeling and simulation. Doran also highlighted the development of the Neller Center for Wargaming and Analysis, a 100,000-square-foot facility in Quantico. The center will use physics-based models to test Marine Corps weapons and force design concepts against future threats in a virtual environment. By running thousands of simulated scenarios, MCWL can identify capability gaps and help inform where the Marine Corps should invest to remain lethal and survivable.

The administration's Genesis Mission aims to build an integrated ecosystem that connects supercomputers, AI systems and emerging quantum capabilities, calling on the Energy Department and its 17 national laboratories. Argonne National Laboratory's broad multidisciplinary research portfolio positions it to harness AI to accelerate scientific discovery, Associate Laboratory Director for the Computing, Environment and Life Sciences (CELS) Directorate Rick Stevens told GovCIO Media & Research. Stevens compared the urgency of the Genesis Mission to the Manhattan Project, citing intensifying global competition and rapid advances in AI. He also highlighted Argonne initiatives such as Synapse, which uses AI to accelerate imaging analysis, and Quarks to Cosmos, an effort to integrate large physics datasets to enable new scientific insights.

NOAA is integrating GPS and new gravity data to improve accuracy of its National Spatial Reference System. Guest: Galen Scott, NGS Constituent Manager, NOAA Description: As agencies increasingly rely on data to drive precise decision-making, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Geodetic Survey is modernizing the National Spatial Reference System to account for shifts in the Earth caused by tectonic plate movement. It hadn't been updated in 40 years. Speaking at the Esri FedGIS Conference in Washington, D.C., NOAA National Geodetic Survey Constituent Manager Galen Scott said the updated system integrates GPS technology, enabling more efficient methods to locate survey markers and collect field data. Scott said the modernized NSRS will also incorporate new gravity data through a geoid model, improving the accuracy of surface elevation measurements compared with legacy models. He added that NSRS data serves as foundational infrastructure for agencies supporting urban planning, infrastructure development and emergency response efforts.

Tiziana Barrow has built a career around cybersecurity and human risk, leading product marketing across some of the industry's most specialized domains like threat intelligence, OT/ICS security, risk quantification and supply chain risk. She's now channeling that experience into Safer Shift, a personal endeavor to build stories that bridge the physical and digital world with a bias toward changing behavior. She discussed why the most powerful tool for reducing human risk isn't technology, it's narrative — stories that make digital safety habits intuitive, accessible and human. In an AI-driven world, protecting people can't just be an enterprise priority. It has to be a personal one.

Col. Arlon Smith, director of Project Dynamis, discussed how the Marine Corps is working to rapidly deliver artificial intelligence capabilities to the tactical edge. He explained how Project Dynamis is leveraging cutting-edge commercial AI to help warfighters analyze and share data faster in increasingly complex battlefields filled with autonomous systems. Smith also highlighted the project's focus on joint interoperability and real-world testing with military partners. The effort aims to quickly turn emerging technologies into operational capabilities that give Marines a decisive advantage.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is modernizing its IT infrastructure to improve efficiency, security and access for patients and providers. Since taking the role in May, Wade Zarriello, director of infrastructure and user services, has led efforts to consolidate platforms, optimize shared services and cut costs — exceeding CMS's fiscal year 2025 savings goal by $750 million. Zarriello also discussed how the agency is implementing a zero trust cybersecurity framework and leveraging AI tools to strengthen data protection and operational reliability. He highlighted CMS's use of GSA OneGov agreements with AWS, Oracle and Salesforce to drive cost savings, improve platform consolidation and support hybrid cloud initiatives.

The Zscaler Public Sector Summit, Robert Roser, CISO, CDO and director of cybersecurity at Idaho National Laboratory, discussed the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape facing government and critical infrastructure. He joined GovCIO Media & Research at the event to explain how malicious actors are increasingly using AI to launch more sophisticated phishing campaigns and ransomware attacks while also lowering the barrier to entry for less-skilled hackers. He also shared how his team is strengthening defenses through zero trust principles, stronger identity protections and new guardrails for AI use. As cyber threats grow more complex, Roser emphasized that cybersecurity is not just an IT issue — it is a responsibility shared across the entire organization.

The Office of Personnel Management launched its Federal Workforce Data website in January, replacing FedScope, the 20-year-old repository for federal employment data. The new platform provides greater transparency into how the federal workforce operates, featuring monthly updates and interactive tables that offer deeper insight into workforce demographics. OPM Director Scott Kupor told GovCIO Media & Resesarch how the revamped site improves user experience and expands visibility into civilian agency operations. Kupor also explained how FWD could serve as a foundation for future consolidation of the federal government's disparate human resources systems.