- Deputy Secretary Steven Bradbury said the department now turns to AI whenever it needs new software
- AI is helping DOT digest thousands of comments on complex rules
- Bradbury called AI essential to the FAA’s air traffic control overhaul
The Department of Transportation has accelerated its software development from roughly 18 months to 18 weeks by applying artificial intelligence, DOT Deputy Secretary Steven Bradbury said. Nextgov/FCW reported Monday that Bradbury described the gains at GovExec’s Government Efficiency Summit on July 16, framing AI as an increasingly central tool in the department’s modernization work.
Bradbury said DOT now turns to AI when it needs new software applications and pointed to internal figures showing 80 percent of department staff are exploring AI uses. The technology is also speeding rulemaking, he said, helping the department digest the tens of thousands of comments it receives on complex rules and review its many grant applications.
Federal civilian modernization will take center stage at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 FedCiv Summit on Oct. 29, where DOT Chief Digital and Information Officer Pavan Pidugu is set to keynote. Register now!
How Is AI Supporting DOT’s Air Traffic Control Overhaul?
According to Bradbury, AI will be essential to the administration’s multibillion-dollar effort to modernize the nation’s air traffic control system, an initiative overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration. Nextgov/FCW reported that the FAA is standing up a Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories system, known as SMART, to pull together weather, ground activity and aircraft data and identify potential conflict points in advance.
The publication noted the agency awarded a 12-year, $875 million contract to Air Space Intelligence in June for software and AI capabilities, including for SMART. Bradbury said the roughly $12.5 billion that Congress approved for modernization in the recent reconciliation package is not enough to complete the work by the end of President Donald Trump’s term.
What Is DOT’s Broader Modernization Strategy?
The AI push builds on an enterprise IT modernization effort DOT launched to replace legacy systems, guided by its 1DOT IT strategy released last September. DOT Chief Digital and Information Officer Pavan Pidugu, a 2026 Wash100 Award winner, has led the initiative, setting a 180-day benchmark for delivering new capabilities. The department also migrated more than 50,000 employees to Google Workspace under a General Services Administration OneGov agreement, gaining access to Google’s Gemini AI tools.
