- Government agencies need to consider training mission-oriented and business professionals, not just IT executives, if they want to successfully implement AI and other emerging technologies.
- Misunderstandings about who exactly needs to be trained on AI and emerging technologies leads to initiatives being designed, and funding budgeted, exclusively for IT professionals.
- Hear directly from Andrea Brandon, Department of the Interior deputy assistant secretary for budgets, finance, grants and acquisition, during a panel at the 2026 Digital Transformation Summit this Wednesday—April 22!
Federal agencies need to take an integrated project team approach, and not just focus on training IT professionals, if they want to successfully implement artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies, according to a top government official.
Andrea Brandon, Department of the Interior deputy assistant secretary for budgets, finance, grants and acquisition, told ExecutiveGov in an exclusive interview ahead of her appearance at the Potomac Officers Club 2026 Digital Transformation Summit this Wednesday that there is confusion about differences in training on AI required for federal employees for everyday use.
This includes training contracting professionals with IT portfolios, such as development of statements of work; acquisition and other business management staffers, including budget and human resources; and program or mission-focused professionals, like doctors and researchers.
Which Federal Employees Are Targeted for AI Training?
This confusion leads to many initiatives and funding being designed solely toward IT professionals like chief AI officers, chief data officers and chief information officers, who believe they can design and select all the necessary AI IT systems and contracts on their own. Brandon said they collect and perform all of the data analysis and review predictive outputs in a meaningful way without the help of other executives from outside IT.
“It really takes an integrated project team approach across the board at all times to successfully implement AI and other innovative technologies such as blockchain, AI assistants, and virtual and augmented reality,” Brandon said.
Hear directly from Brandon during her panel discussion on Driving Digital Transformation and Responsible AI Across the Federal Enterprise at the Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Digital Transformation Summit this Wednesday—April 22! Dig into scaling AI beyond pilot programs and modernizing infrastructure to support enterprise AI. Secure your seat today!
Brandon’s priorities for 2026 are continuing to enhance the DOI’s AI roadmap by examining its business processes and determining which ones are ripe for an AI pilot. Different business processes have different stages in their lifecycles, she said. These include pre-award planning and document development, application review, award, post-award monitoring and risk analysis.
Who Is Andrea Brandon?
Brandon has a wealth of federal experience, having served in the federal government since 2003 at a variety of agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Management and Budget and the Departments of Agriculture, Homeland Security and the Interior. She is an expert in risk management, audits, internal controls, IT innovation and financial operations, among other areas.
Why Is Andrea Brandon a Pioneer in Emerging Technologies?
Brandon is a pioneer in leveraging new technologies to speed up the business of government. She led the use of robotic process automation technology, or bots, to accelerate contracting tasks, organize business data and make other laborious tasks easier.
One bot, named “Bob the Closer,” closed out contracts faster than humans. The DOI, leveraging Bob the Closer, closed 7,441 awards at a rate of 1 minute, 44 seconds per contract. Another Brandon bot initiative is the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization bot, or OSDBot, which organizes small business information from acquisition offices and bureaus.
The Potomac Officers Club’s 2026 Digital Transformation Summit is the essential venue for discovering the latest partnership opportunities in the technologies transforming government business. Hear spending insights for 2026 and beyond from Pavan Pidugu, Department of Transportation chief digital and information officer, during his insightful keynote address. Have the priceless face-to-face networking only possible in live settings. Buy your ticket today!
