Governance frameworks, workforce training and partnering with external organizations top the list of strategies to get data AI-ready
There’s one recurring theme in published commentaries about the government’s effort to implement AI: data readiness.
“The major challenge facing federal agencies is data readiness,” wrote Daniel Kent, an assistant vice president for systems engineering, federal, at Everpure, in a commentary published by FedScoop.
That’s just one example. We cited three others previously in this piece: Should data integration be elevated as a federal tech priority? There are probably many more.
The message seems to be resonating, according to a survey of federal leaders working on AI initiatives by ICF and Wakefield Research. While the survey found 83% of respondents said government data “isn’t quite there yet,” about two-thirds (66%) are “confident that their data will be AI-ready in two years or less.”
9 ways agencies are getting data AI-ready
So, what are agencies doing that gives leaders this confidence?
According to the survey:
- 36% are “implementing data governance frameworks”;
- 36% are “expanding workforce training on data management and AI”;
- 35% are “partnering with external organizations for data modernization”;
- 34% are “enhancing data security and privacy measures”;
- 33% are “investing in advanced data analytics tools”;
- 32% are “focused on regulatory streamlining”;
- 30% are “decentralizing data infrastructure”;
- 29% are “upgrading legacy systems”; and
- 27% are “working to improve data interoperability across systems.”
The report notes that respondents could choose from multiple options, so these numbers reflect the top choices and explain why the numbers do not add up to 100%. That’s an interesting point because no single effort is a panacea. Prepping data for AI requires a confluence of factors, which the report sums up nicely:
“Together, these efforts reflect a broad understanding: Successful AI adoption requires coordinated progress across technology, people, and policy—not just tools.”
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