Hello and welcome to the first Thursday edition of Eye on AI. In case you missed Tuesday’s newsletter, the first news item to know is that we’re doubling our AI coverage to bring Eye on AI to your inbox twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. AI continues to be one of the most important topics—technology or otherwise—affecting our world, and this will allow us to bring you even more updates and analysis on the latest AI news, research, and policy. Now, let’s get into it.
Today we’re diving into the federal government’s AI hiring frenzy. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in recent days took new action to speed up hiring on select high-priority AI positions, showing how the federal government is intensifying its search for AI talent as it competes with the similarly red-hot AI talent market in the private sector.
In a memo, the Office authorized government-wide direct hire authority for four AI-related positions: AI computer engineers, AI computer scientists, IT specialists, and management and program analysts. Direct hire authority expedites hiring to fill critical roles more quickly by eliminating certain requirements such as rating and ranking, veterans' preference, and other typical selection procedures. Back in September, OPM similarly authorized direct hire for operations research and data science positions related to AI.
OPM spokesperson Viet Tran told Eye on AI that roles are selected for the authorization according to scope or urgency, and that in this case, the urgency of the Biden Administration’s October AI executive order was clear. Already, some affected job listings on AI.gov have been designated prominently as Direct Hire Authority (DHA), such as this listing for a computer scientist role at the Internal Revenue Service.
In addition to direct hire, OPM additionally authorized temporary excepted service appointments to bolster agencies to carry out the nontechnical work needed to support the executive order. This includes onboarding technical AI staff, conducting workforce studies, and other department-specific AI tasks.
If this all sounds in the weeds, it is. But AI has sparked a unique recruiting campaign that almost has a wartime feel. “The federal government is searching far and wide to fill new cutting-edge positions,” as FedScoop recently wrote, tapping every avenue from offering training opportunities to recruiting foreign workers. And for businesses, the government is coming for their talent.
The AI.gov page is primarily dedicated to recruiting and reads like a call to service, prompting Americans to “join the national AI talent surge.” White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar similarly characterized AI workers joining the government’s efforts as the next great chapter of great American scientific contribution.
In a recent episode of The Verge’s Decoder podcast, Mina Hsiang, the administrator of the United States Digital Service (USDS), emphasized why AI recruitment is critical for the government to get this new technology right, and pitched AI technologists on why they should work in government.
“The problem and the impact should be deeply motivating,” she said, adding that they’re looking for “people who are excited about increasing trust in government, who are excited to solve these problems in a long-term way.”
With the tech industry’s massive pay packages and high demand for AI talent across all industries, the government certainly has steep competition in the private sector. Yet Hsiang has a decent case. Many tech workers feel that tech companies have recklessly sowed societal harm, technology hasn’t delivered on its promise to improve our lives, and profits have repeatedly been prioritized over people. Combined with the higher-than-ever stakes of AI, that feeling might be enough to convince some to answer the call.
It’s not clear exactly how many AI technologists the federal government is ultimately trying to bring on, though it has previously said it wants to appoint as many as 400 Chief AI Officers across the various federal agencies. Most are just ramping up their AI strategies, and each agency is responsible for filling positions according to its AI needs, said Tran. But the government is clearly firing on all cylinders, with more action to come. Biden’s order contained a laundry list of actions around attracting AI talent and building up its AI workforce, such as mandates to establish a program to identify and attract top talent in AI and train 500 new AI researchers by 2025, to name a few of many.
And with that, more AI news below.
Sage Lazzaro
sage.lazzaro@consultant.fortune.com
sagelazzaro.com
