Artificial Intelligence

Blinken spotlights role of AI in diplomacy

Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other State Department leaders explained how AI use cases such as data analysis and translation are already taking hold at the department.

Digital Government

Most Americans unaware of foreign intel operations’ scope on social media, State Dept. official says

U.S. Ambassador at Large for Cyberspace and Digital Policy Nate Fick’s assessment comes five months before a high-stakes U.S. presidential election.

Cybersecurity

US sets sights on partnerships to counter cyberthreats, secure AI in new global cyber strategy

An update to US international cyberspace policy will leverage partnerships to defend against cyberattacks on critical infrastructure and help prevent surveillance misuses.

Digital Government

US to unveil new international cyber framework

The last international cyber blueprint came out more than a decade ago from the Obama administration.

Artificial Intelligence

State Dept. seeks employee volunteers to test AI chatbot

The State Department is piloting an internal chatbot backed by artificial intelligence technology, and will leverage internal sensitive but unclassified data.

Policy

US targets 6 to 8 month timeframe for new nations to join spyware pact

Six new countries joined the agreement last week, and the State Department was working behind the scenes to initially get more signed on.

Cybersecurity

US accuses Chinese hackers of 14-year campaign targeting government officials

The coordinated charges include sanctions on Chinese government-affiliated hackers and an up to $10 million reward for information about the defendants.

People

State selects 4 new Science Envoys

Four U.S. scientists and researchers will work in the State Department’s Science Envoy Program.

Acquisition

State is taking an ‘important step’ for planned EHR, as key lawmaker moves to speed it up

State’s Bureau of Medical Services has been working for more than a decade to replace its current paper-based medical record system with an electronic solution to better meet the healthcare needs of its diplomatic corps.

Artificial Intelligence

US has shared AI security interests with ‘every country around the world,’ State official says

Seth Center, the State Department’s deputy envoy for critical and emerging technology, broke down the U.S. diplomatic approach to cultivating cohesive regulatory approaches. 

Cybersecurity

State Department to levy visa restrictions on spyware abusers

The move builds on several actions taken by the Biden administration in the past year to counter abusive commercial spyware practices.

Artificial Intelligence

USAID wants help in crafting a playbook for global AI uses

The federal government’s latest artificial intelligence guidance is looking to take recommendations from earlier risk management documents.

Cybersecurity

State's cyber bureau has ‘raised the U.S. profile on cyber globally,’ watchdog says

The Government Accountability Office said the creation of the Bureau of Cyberspace and Digital Policy in 2022 has “helped to better position State to achieve its cyber diplomacy goals.”

Modernization

State Department restores passport processing to pre-pandemic levels

A hiring surge and mandatory overtime has brought passport processing down to its lowest level in years.

Artificial Intelligence

AI can help predict nuclear threats, but also develop others faster, State report warns

A report from a State Department advisory board on AI’s impact on arms control, nonproliferation and verification warned that the tech “is likely to lower barriers to biological and chemical weapons development.”

Artificial Intelligence

State plans to lead by example in tech diplomacy politics

Between following a new executive order and modernizing agency operations, the State Department is building its policy on artificial intelligence through promoting U.S. innovation.

Cybersecurity

State’s cyber overhaul bets big on zero trust to tackle emerging threats

The State Department started at the “bottom of the barrel” when the White House’s 2021 cybersecurity executive order was released, according to the agency’s chief information security officer.