GSA unveils new class of Presidential Innovation Fellows focused exclusively on AI
The second wave of 2024 Presidential Innovation Fellows has arrived for a “yearlong tour of duty” focused exclusively on artificial intelligence, the General Services Administration announced Monday.
The new PIF cohort — composed of 11 experts from tech companies, startups and other organizations — will serve eight different agencies in AI-centered roles, furthering the Biden administration’s goal of harnessing the emerging technology and ensuring responsible uses, according to the GSA. The fellows’ work will include projects that use data and AI to enhance the electrical grid’s infrastructure and leverage the technology to increase public access to justice while decreasing risks to consumers.
Olivia Zhu, an assistant director for AI policy at the Office of Science and Technology Policy, said in the GSA’s press release that she appreciates “the PIF program’s role in helping me transition from the tech sector into government, and look forward to watching more technologists join public service.”
The second cadre of PIF fellows follows the 21-person first group, announced in March, that has participants working across 14 agencies focused on modernization efforts.
Helena Fu, director of the Department of Energy’s Office of Critical and Emerging Technologies, said in a statement that the DOE fellow “will help propel our VoltAIc Initiative — building AI-powered tools to streamline siting and permitting to help accelerate deployment of clean energy infrastructure.”
The PIF program was launched in 2012 by OSTP before it was transferred to GSA in 2013. During that time, the program has hosted more than 260 fellows who have worked at more than 50 agencies. Many of those fellows continued on in other innovative and often tech-focused government roles.
