Federal agencies will report more than 3,600 artificial intelligence use cases in 2025, with adoption accelerating rapidly as agencies expand AI across numerous missions and enterprise operations, Nextgov/FCW reported Thursday.
The Office of Management and Budget’s latest Federal AI Use Case Inventory records 3,611 use cases across 56 government agencies, more than double the previous year’s total, highlighting how rapidly AI is being incorporated into government workflows.
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How fast is the federal government adopting AI?
The 2025 inventory reflects a significant increase from approximately 2,133 use cases across 41 government agencies in 2024. This is being driven by both expanded reporting and widespread deployment of AI tools across government agencies.
OMB streamlined reporting requirements in 2025 and introduced a new category of widely used commercial AI tools. This allows agencies to focus individualized reporting on more mission-specific and high-impact applications.
At the same time, government agencies are moving more use cases into production, with more than 1,800 systems reported deployed or piloted last year.
Which government agencies are driving the use of AI?
Recruitment remains concentrated in large mission agencies, particularly those managing health, scientific, and national operations.
The Department of Health and Human Services reported the most use cases, followed by NASA, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Justice.
The Department of Veterans Affairs stands out as having a high concentration of high-impact AI, reporting more than 200 such use cases, far more than any other agency.
What are agencies using AI for?
Government agencies reported similar core applications in both years, but with greater size and maturity in 2025.
Common use cases include:
- Text analysis, summarization, document processing
- Data analysis and pattern recognition
- predictive modeling
- Chatbots and customer service automation
More advanced mission-specific applications are also emerging, including:
- Clinical data summary and health analysis
- Detection of operational anomalies in cybersecurity
- Satellite and scientific data processing
- Identity verification
How is policy shaping AI adoption?
This rapid growth is consistent with recent federal policies aimed at accelerating the use of AI while strengthening governance.
OMB’s April 2025 guidance directs agencies to expand AI deployment to low-risk use cases, establish oversight of high-impact systems, conduct AI maturity assessments, and improve acquisition practices to avoid vendor lock-in.
The policy also encourages agencies to more efficiently deploy commercially available tools.
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