Harnessing the power of AI in government: 5 real-world use cases
Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly becoming a powerful tool in modern government operations, enabling agencies to augment human intelligence, achieve more with fewer resources, and assist in decision-making. In our mission-led modernization work, we’ve seen first-hand how leveraging AI can increase value and streamline processes for more impactful work. We believe that striking the right balance between human expertise and technology is key, and with our deep experience in this space, we’ve helped agencies harness AI to solve real-world challenges. Below, we highlight five practical use cases where AI has delivered measurable, impactful results. Let’s get into it:
1. Digital modernization and AI readiness
The challenge: A government agency focused on forest fire management was constantly in a reactive mode, struggling to predict and prepare for the rapidly changing landscape of wildfire threats.
The solution: ICF is currently building a cloud-native, AI-powered solution designed to leverage all available intelligence data to predict the best mitigation strategies. By using computer vision and machine learning, this solution will help the agency anticipate where and when wildfires may occur.
The results: This proactive approach allows the agency to allocate resources more effectively and take preemptive actions, reducing the impact of wildfires and enhancing overall disaster readiness.
2. Structuring unstructured data
The challenge: Government agencies often deal with an overwhelming influx of lengthy reports that need to be thoroughly reviewed, summarized, and coded. This manual process is not only time-consuming but also resource-intensive, making it difficult for agencies to maintain data quality and consistency.
The solution: ICF developed a custom data analysis pipeline for a government client, automating the extraction and cleansing of data from large reports. Using Generative AI (GenAI), we were able to summarize, analyze, and categorize the data according to specific topic definitions. The results were presented in a user-friendly dashboard with AI-generated reports, making the data accessible and actionable.
The results:
- Subject-matter experts shifted their focus from data extraction to ensuring the quality of outputs.
- Hundreds of human hours were saved, even during a limited pilot.
- Future reports can be seamlessly analyzed using similar tailored solutions, significantly improving efficiency and consistency.
3. Processing large quantities of data
The challenge: An agency faced a historical backlog of 3.7 million records that needed conversion to MARC21 format (for bibliographic data) to become searchable and usable. Manually converting this data would have been a nearly insurmountable task.
The solution: ICF used advanced tools to automate the conversion process. By sampling records and using custom-tuned prompts tailored to agency-specific instructions, we streamlined the conversion of historical data. Subject-matter experts then reviewed the outputs for accuracy, ensuring high-quality results.
The results: Our team achieved significant progress in a short timeframe, showcasing ICF’s capability in data transformation. This work demonstrates our ability to deliver innovative technology solutions that further agency missions.
"At ICF, we believe in a human-centric approach to Generative AI, ensuring that technology complements the strengths of skilled professionals rather than replacing them."
4. Accelerated delivery of training materials
The challenge: A surge in new and updated Standard Work Instructions (SWIs) created a backlog of over 60 video training requests. The traditional video production process couldn’t keep up with the demand, delaying the dissemination of critical information.
The solution: ICF designed a Generative AI-powered tool suite that transformed the video production process into a near-instantaneous operation. This tool suite allows the team to:
- Ingest text directly from SWIs in PDF format without manual editing.
- Generate custom scripts that translate instructions into video content within minutes.
- Use voice-cloning technology to produce realistic, high-quality audio narration, ensuring consistency.
The results: The agency now has the ability to quickly generate video content, dramatically reducing production times and ensuring timely training delivery. This scalable solution enhances training efficiency and helps keep teams up-to-date with the latest procedures.
5. Chatbot to improve access to information
The challenge: A vast amount of agency data was accessible only to a niche group of subject-matter experts, making it difficult for non-specialized staff to find the information they needed.
The solution: ICF developed a chatbot interface powered by a large language model (LLM), enabling intuitive, natural language interactions with the agency’s data. This user-friendly chatbot provides easy access to information, regardless of the user’s technical expertise.
The results: The democratization of data access within the agency has improved efficiency, allowing all staff members to navigate and utilize data with ease, thus enhancing the agency’s operational effectiveness.
These five use cases are just a glimpse of what AI can achieve for government agencies. By integrating AI into their processes, these agencies not only improved their efficiency but also prepared themselves for future challenges.
If your agency is looking to enhance its capabilities through AI, we’re here to help. Let’s discuss how our innovative solutions can support your mission. Contact us today to see firsthand how AI can transform your operations.
