2026
Government Use and Procurement of AI: Perspectives from the Biden Administration
Mulligan, Deirdre K. and Mary Beech. 2026. “Government Use and Procurement of AI: Perspectives from the Biden Administration.” University of California, Berkeley.
Abstract
Government Use and Procurement of AI: Perspectives from the Biden Administration examines the critical challenges and opportunities of the federal government’s use of artificial intelligence (AI) as a mission-enabling and rights-protecting tool. Mulligan and Beech distill lessons learned from developing the Biden Administration's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) AI memos, a bellwether moment in policy keeping pace with technology. Robust recommendations are presented across governance, use cases, workforce development, risk assessment, testing, public participation, and private-sector engagement to inform future federal action on the use and procurement of AI.
This report builds on Mulligan’s leadership in shaping the future of digital governance and policy through academia and government agencies. She spearheaded the UC Berkeley Executive Fellowship in Applied Technology Policy, an eight-month fellowship with senior leaders at the intersection of technology and public policy. A resulting impact paper by Executive Fellow Eric Hysen, Former Chief Information Officer & Chief AI Officer at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, synthesizes best practices in public-sector AI governance into a pragmatic playbook for leaders.
In fall 2025, UC Berkeley and the California Department of Technology convened a workshop with government technology leaders, former federal and international technology leaders, nonprofit leaders, and academic researchers. This collaboration resulted in the development of shared infrastructure across testing, standard-setting, evaluation, and assessment of AI systems. Such initiatives highlight the value of bringing together expertise and experimentation to ensure that emerging technology serves the public good.
Research Area(s)
Link URL
Link URL
Government Use and Procurement of AI: Perspectives from the Biden Administration
Last updated:
June 17, 2026