Government Plan to Integrate AI and Access Sensitive Data Sparks Concerns

The General Services Administration’s Technology Transformation Services (TTS) is planning to widely deploy AI throughout the government, according to Thomas Shedd, its new head. In a meeting with government tech workers, Shedd stated that this plan aims to enhance security by identifying individuals and detecting fraud using sensitive systems like social security. However, employees expressed concerns about altering login.gov to access this information without consent.

Shedd, a former Tesla engineer, acknowledged the need for consent but emphasized the importance of pushing forward with changes. He mentioned potential updates include AI coding agents writing government software, larger-scale automations, and modifying Login.gov. Shedd noted that existing government contracts can be used to train these agents. The plan also involves accessing secure APIs from other agencies.

A government employee raised concerns during a Q&A session about the Privacy Act, which prohibits sharing personal information without consent. This sparked debate among attendees, highlighting the complexities of integrating AI and sensitive data within government systems.

Source: https://www.404media.co/things-are-going-to-get-intense-how-a-musk-ally-plans-to-push-ai-on-the-government