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Cost Estimating NewsBrief: January 16, 2026
Report: Workforce shortages, security fears among biggest hindrances to agency AI adoption
(NextGov/FCW) Artificial intelligence adoption within federal agencies feels inevitable, but major concerns around cybersecurity, procurement and workforce challenges could hinder this progress, agencies say. A survey commissioned by Google Public Sector and conducted by Government Executive analyzed the ongoing AI adoption efforts in the federal government and found that nearly 90% of respondents working for agencies are “planning to or are already using AI.” “According to survey respondents, the question is no longer if the federal government will adopt AI, but how fast its new role as an AI accelerator will drive transformation across the entire public sector,” Read More
War Department Launches AI Acceleration Strategy to Secure American Military AI Dominance
(U.S. Department of War) The Department of War today launches a transformative Artificial Intelligence Acceleration Strategy that will extend our lead in military AI deployment and establish the United States as the world’s undisputed AI-enabled fighting force. Mandated by President Trump, this acceleration strategy will unleash experimentation, eliminate legacy bureaucratic blockers, and integrate the bleeding edge of frontier AI capabilities across every mission area to usher in an unprecedented era of American military AI dominance. Read More
A US productivity unlock: Investing in frontline workers’ AI skills
(McKinsey & Company) Put yourself in the shoes of someone who manages a large equipment assembly plant in Alabama. Or a few discount stores in Ohio. Or a healthcare network in Colorado. For years, you’ve seen how little labor productivity has grown, and how hard it has been to attract and retain your frontline workers. Recent US employment data may show more slack than in the early 2020s, but those years saw some of the tightest labor market statistics on record. Finding workers still isn’t easy. AI offers some hope that technology could fill your workforce gaps. Read More
The Silent Partner – How Machine Learning Quietly Powers Modern Space Operations
(Space Daily) The space industry handles some of the most complex data in existence. Satellite images cover millions of square kilometers. Telemetry from a single spacecraft involves thousands of data points. The position of millions of objects in orbit must be tracked to prevent collisions. For decades, teams of experts manually analyzed this information. This process was slow, expensive, and limited by human scale. Machine learning (ML) now changes this dynamic. It doesn’t replace human ingenuity, but serves as a powerful tool that processes information at a scale and speed humans cannot match. Read More
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