The State Department hopes to ride the generative artificial intelligence wave by conducting market research on using emerging technologies to create contracts.
In a request for information released Wednesday, the state government said the three agencies are seeking feedback from industry on the potential use of generative AI and machine learning capabilities to help craft basic contracts. Announced.
In addition to this, the country hopes to gather “insight into the current hurdles and security considerations in deploying generative and natural language processing AI into the ministry’s network” through the RFI process.
Generative AI has exploded in popularity recently with the advent of ChatGPT and other similar products that can generate new content such as text and images based on training involving the use of large language models.
The state’s Office of Information Resources Management (the office of the CIO), Consular Affairs, and the Office of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement are leading this effort.
“DOS business operations rely on outdated technology and manually intensive processes, resulting in underutilized data resources, wasted labor time and significant inefficiency,” said RFI. says. “Incorporating AI technology into existing repetitive processes aims to reduce inefficiencies caused by manual tedious tasks, simplify workflows, and improve the accuracy of repetitive tasks during the market research and acquisition planning stages. It’s all about making sure we can keep up, and at the same time addressing the nuances of an IT acquisition.”
Contract officers now typically copy and paste information from previous contracts to save time, the state said in a statement. However, this can lead to errors and pose risks, such as “creating opportunities to exclude mandatory cybersecurity requirements while incorporating outdated provisions and clauses.”
The ideal solution would prompt users to write a problem statement regarding an immediate acquisition, and generate an AI solution that would “generate a draft of a complete PR package for any type of IT purchase, with the possibility of editing by a government procurement expert.” “It must be submitted in contract form,” explains RFI.
The goal is that this will not only reduce costs, manual labor and the potential for error, but also improve decision-making and lead to better contract outcomes, the agency believes.
The state acknowledged that there are several constraining factors that could limit its push for generative AI, including that the technology has not been approved for use by the department and that the department has not yet issued an AI policy. I admit it. As with other federal RFIs, the division is CL.
Stakeholders must respond to the state’s RFI by July 17.
Secretary of State Antony Brinken is a strong advocate for the United States to be at the cutting edge of introducing AI and other emerging technologies into global diplomacy. In January, Mr. Brinken opened a new office for the Special Envoy for Critical and Emerging Technologies, dedicated to the intersection of technology and diplomacy. And the department already has an extensive inventory of AI applications.
“We want the internet to continue to be a force for learning, connecting and transforming economic growth, rather than a tool of oppression,” Blinken said at the time. “We want to create standards governing new technologies to ensure quality, protect consumer health and safety, facilitate trade and respect people’s rights. wants this technology to work for democracy, fight disinformation, defend internet freedom, and reduce the abuse of surveillance technology, and we are committed to fostering cooperation and working with democratic partners to We want to move this agenda forward technology by technology, issue by issue.”
