government studies

The U.S. Capitol lit at night behind a sweeping wall of glowing blue data, representing government expectations for AI

KPMG survey suggests governments have big expectations for AI in 2027

Governments expect to scale AI into production next year; however, most tech spending still goes to maintenance; foundational platforms deliver the strongest returns, yet talent and skills gaps are a constraint by Intelliworx Governments around the world have high expectations for AI-related projects next year, according to a study by KPMG. The consulting firm first published a global technology report in January 2026 and has since carved out separate, more nuanced reports from the data. This particular report, published in March, “draws on the views of 115 government and public sector leaders from across the globe.” While this study provides a wide-angle view of global government technology initiatives, it’s a sound complement and interesting comparison to the growing list of studies we’ve reviewed recently with dedicated U.S. government respondents. This KPMG survey is also unique in that it asked a number of forward-looking questions. As we just rounded the corner […]

Glowing U.S. Capitol dome on an isometric circuit-board cityscape, representing federal IT modernization

The various approaches, milestones and phases of federal IT modernization projects

Survey by the EY Center for Government Modernization finds 48% of federal decision makers say IT modernization projects take a year-plus to move from pilot to production by Intelliworx It can take a federal agency a year or longer to take an IT modernization project from the pilot phase to production, according to 48% of federal decision makers polled by EY. That’s not a surprise given the size, complexity and critical nature of the government’s IT infrastructure. The consulting firm polled 131 federal decision makers about modernization and AI for its 2026 EY Federal Trends Report. We’ve previously covered some of the findings about the state of AI implementation in the federal government and the shortage of tech talent. In this third and final post stemming from this survey, we are looking at the findings focused on modernization. Stay in touch by subscribing to our email newsletter. We will […]

Digital candidate files flow from a recruitment archive toward rows of vacant desks, illustrating the government tech talent shortage and hiring gap

Tech talent shortage is the government’s “most significant modernization barrier”

Close to half (44%) of federal decision makers surveyed by EY cite “workforce skill gaps” as the top challenge to modernizing the federal IT infrastructure by Intelliworx “One of the most critical bottlenecks to federal goals for modernization, efficiency and scaling AI is not a technological gap but a human capital gap.” That’s according to the 2026 EY Federal Trends Report, based on a survey of 131 federal decision makers. When asked about the top barriers to modernizing government technology, respondents identified the following: 44% cite workforce skill gaps; 32% say slow procurement processes; 32% say escalating cybersecurity threats; 30% say regulatory requirements; and 30% say inadequate data storage. (Click for larger image) Solving the talent shortage While the survey identified the top barrier, it also identified some ways the government is going about resolving it. 1. Upskilling existing staff Most respondents surveyed give their agency high marks for […]

7 statistics that offer a glimpse into the state of federal AI implementation

Despite overwhelming support for AI-driven modernization, an EY survey of federal decision makers finds persistent hurdles in scaling AI from pilots to production by Intelliworx Finding ways to use AI to reduce cost and drive efficiency is the top tech priority for the federal government. To date, there are more than 2,000 possible AI use cases that have been identified. The question that remains is: are these use cases making their way toward production environments? The EY Center for Government Modernization recently announced a survey it commissioned of 131 “federal government decision-makers in finance, IT and HR/workforce” that provides some answers. We reviewed the study and have curated some of the statistics that stood out to us below. Stay in touch by subscribing to our email newsletter. We will never share or sell your email address. 1. Enthusiasm for AI runs high “An overwhelming majority of federal “decision-makers “view AI as […]

The top skills the government needs to implement AI effectively

Data analysis, project management for AI, and infrastructure management are among the top skills agency leaders say they need to develop to move AI pilot projects to production There’s a lot that’s been said about prepping government data for AI. One of the top ways leaders are working to achieve that goal is “expanding workforce training on data management and AI.” That’s according to a survey of 200 government leaders conducted by ICF and Wakefield Research. The survey found 70% of respondents “acknowledged that they will need to upskill existing staff and/or hire new talent to implement AI effectively.” What’s more, “58% say they either have – or can develop – the skills necessary for AI implementation without hiring additional staff.” That 58% figure is a combination of two findings: 31% said their agency has the skills needed now; and 27% said, “yes, if we upskill our current team.” The […]

How government agencies are prepping data for the AI transformation

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, […]

3 survey findings about the government’s efforts to implement AI in agencies

A report on the findings identifies the top challenges for implementing AI, the technical and non-technical barriers to scale and the benefits of pressing forward “Federal agencies are embracing AI at an accelerating pace…the key now is to scale AI efficiently and cost-effectively, transitioning from experimentation to execution, and ultimately to sustained usage.” That’s according to a survey commissioned by ICF and conducted by Wakefield Research: The AI Advantage: Moving from exploration to impact. The survey polled 200 U.S. federal program and mission leaders with the following qualifying titles: program manager, mission owner, division lead, branch/area chief, CXO, CIO, VP or equivalent.” While recent news reports indicate the official tally of government AI use cases compiled by OPM has doubled since a year ago, many of these are experiments. The ICF survey found 41% of respondents indicated they “are running small-scale pilots.” Another 16% “are actively scaling AI efforts,” and […]

CIOs, CAIOs, and CDOs: survey says these federal roles need more clarity

“Despite modest improvements in overall role clarity, the expanding and overlapping nature of data and technology leadership roles create ongoing confusion.” Sometimes a job grows too large for any one leader to effectively manage. Managing technology is a prime example. Where technology was once the sole purview of the CIO, the integration of technology into daily work has made it too big a job for any one leader. There have been a number of new technology-related leadership titles cropping up in the last decade or so: chief technology officer (CTO) chief information security officer (CISO) chief privacy officer (CPO) or the senior agency official for privacy (SAOP); and chief data officer (CDO). The role of the CDO was fueled by the Evidence Act, which was signed into law in early January 2019. It required government agencies to create a CDO position, whose goal was to ensure government data was accessible […]

Federal CDO-CIO relationships are driving a data-centric culture

CDOs say close collaboration with CIOs also helps IT project prioritization, lends authority, and supports budget allocation Federal chief data officers (CDOs) faced a wave of changes in recent years, according to a survey of chief data officers, by Deloitte and the Data Foundation: “The CDO community navigated a year of unprecedented change, including a new administration, unexpected workforce reductions, and evolving AI priorities, while continuing to mature as a function across the federal government.” One of the most significant changes was to their reporting structure as nearly a quarter (24%) got a new boss last year. More than half of CDOs (52%) say they now report to the chief information officer (CIO), which is up substantially from 36% in 2024 and 33% in 2023. Stay in touch by subscribing to our email newsletter. We will never share or sell your email address. Complementary working relationships The CDO reporting […]

Federal chief data officers are “critical” to scaling government AI

CDOs are the caretakers of government data, drive internal and external collaboration, and may have sound ideas for developing AI implementation metrics The federal government’s experimentation with AI has grown substantially. OMB recently reported 3,600 different use cases, which represents 70% growth over previous years, according to FedScoop. As the use cases pile up, one technology role is emerging as instrumental for success in AI: the chief data officer or CDO. The “expanding intersection of data and artificial intelligence responsibilities” was “a common theme” in a newly published survey by Deloitte and the Data Foundation. As one of the 189 CDOs polled for the 2025 Survey of Federal Chief Data Officers, which was published in March 2026, characterizes the role as ‘more critical with the introduction of AI.’” The survey findings point to three clear reasons, which follow below. Stay in touch by subscribing to our email newsletter. We will […]

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