Commentary

Rethinking federal digital transformation with AI, automation: Lessons from the digital journey

As technology quickly drives change across industries, IRS aims to revolutionize its engagement with taxpayers through artificial intelligence and automation.

Mike Daniels

August 7, 2024 6:13 pm

5 min read

As technology quickly drives change across industries, IRS aims to revolutionize its engagement with taxpayers through artificial intelligence and automation. Under Commissioner Danny Werfel’s leadership, IRS is on a transformative path, deploying AI to improve taxpayer services and enforce tax compliance more effectively.

IRS is utilizing AI-powered platforms to enhance taxpayer service, which is timely after a tax season that set new records for customer service speed and online platform visits.

“I want IRS to be built for the future era of taxpayers who want to increasingly do all commerce digitally,” said Werfel during a recent conference on AI.

IRS’ vision for AI and automation is twofold: Virtual software assistants are being developed to provide immediate assistance to taxpayers, address common inquiries, and facilitate smoother digital interactions with the agency. This move toward virtual assistants is not just about efficiency; it’s a response to taxpayers’ evolving expectations for digital-first solutions like those they experience in transactions in other areas of life such as banking and retail.

Additionally, IRS plans to employ AI to tackle more complex workflows, gain deeper insights into corporate and individual tax anomalies, and better deliver to underserved communities virtually.

These IRS initiatives exemplify how federal agencies can integrate and transform using AI and automation. As agency leaders work to incorporate these emerging technologies into their operations, they should consider these insights:

Identify essential areas for AI and automation innovation

In the pursuit of integrating AI and automation into government operations, agencies are encouraged to identify critical areas for AI and automation innovation. This strategy involves pinpointing domains where AI and automation can significantly enhance customer service, boost operational efficiency, or fortify compliance and security measures.

For example, the IRS’ strategic planning involves a deep understanding of the current challenges faced by taxpayers and anticipating future needs. By doing so, the IRS can tailor its AI-powered tools to provide personalized and responsive customer service, putting the needs and preferences of taxpayers at the forefront. The development of virtual assistants is a direct response to the modern taxpayer’s preference for quick and digital-first solutions.

Develop a clear vision and strategy for AI and automation use cases

Agencies must develop a clear vision and strategy before rolling out emerging technologies like AI and automation. A comprehensive plan that resonates with the agency’s core mission and objectives should be established. This strategy must include well-defined goals, success metrics and a roadmap detailing the necessary steps to achieve these aims.

Invest in AI and automation talent and training

Cultivating an AI-savvy federal workforce is essential for the successful implementation of emerging technologies. Federal agencies should not only recruit new talent with expertise in AI and automation but also provide ample training opportunities for their existing staff to acquire required AI and automation skills. However, budget fluctuations in recent years have impacted workforce training and effectiveness for many agencies.

In a significant move, the White House released Executive Order 141101. This directive was a clear call to action for federal agencies to promote the safe, secure and trustworthy development and use of AI.

The EO also launched a National AI Talent Surge, a strategic initiative to recruit and retain AI professionals in the federal government. This surge is instrumental in building a strong and diverse federal AI workforce to execute the White House priorities, as highlighted in a report by the AI and Tech Talent Task Force. However, investments should be made to increase the number of AI and tech talent. These investments can strengthen the AI research and development ecosystem.

“Sustained funding at agencies is essential to grow and support AI and tech talent workforces at agencies,” the report states.

Ensure ethical and responsible AI use

Federal agencies must establish comprehensive guidelines and principles to ensure ethical and responsible AI use. These guidelines should tackle bias, transparency and accountability within AI systems.

Moreover, the federal government is critical in providing technical expertise to create and enforce these policies and regulations. By doing so, they can ensure that AI technologies are effective, equitable and respectful of individual rights. This strategy encompasses a broad spectrum of activities, from setting up robust frameworks for data privacy to developing standardized approaches for bias detection and mitigation.

Foster collaboration and partnerships

Furthermore, it is beneficial to foster agency collaboration and public-private partnerships. By engaging with other government entities, academic institutions and the private sector, agencies can exchange knowledge, pool resources and adopt best practices for AI and automation integration, gathering diverse perspectives and insights. This collaborative approach fosters a shared vision for emerging technology’s role in government, ensuring that AI and automation serve the public interest and garner broad support. Through workshops, feedback sessions and open forums, federal agencies can foster an inclusive AI and automation strategy, one that is enriched by the voices of its many stakeholders.

Moving from a digital-first mindset to an accelerated AI assisted outcome across the federal government

By focusing on these insights, agencies, with their valuable input, can strategically plan for AI and automation integration and adopt a digital-first mindset, aligning with federal mandates for digital transformation across the federal government. The advent of AI-infused automation platforms allows the government to effectively leverage existing systems and data repositories to achieve intelligent outcomes at speeds that were previously unattainable. Intelligent digital assistants allow the government to simplify the ability of their staff to take advantage of practical AI as part of their service motion enhancing the overall customer service experience while driving accelerated outcomes.

Toward that end, federal agencies should select emerging technologies that leverage existing data and systems and offer true interoperability and provide deployment methods that maximize privacy, security and total cost of ownership. In the end, AI and automation can then be securely and transparently implemented to boost operations, empower government workers and improve citizen services in the years to come.

Mike Daniels is senior vice president of public sector at UiPath.