AI wasn’t being used on Army helicopter involved in fatal crash near DC airport; State and local governments turn to talent matching program with a possible wave of federal resignations

The Army UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter that fatally collided with an American Airlines passenger plane Wednesday night over the Potomac River was not equipped with experimental autonomous flight capabilities, defense officials familiar with the ongoing federal investigation told DefenseScoop. There’s said to be no survivors in the aftermath of the tragic crash, which happened around 9:00 p.m. local time on a notoriously highly-congested flight path in the National Capital Region. The Army is closely supporting the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board-led investigation into the incident, officials said. In statements, press briefings and one-on-one conversations Thursday, several defense officials shed new light on the mid-air collision. Their comments confirm that — despite the Army’s unfolding experimentation with AI and autonomous software — the helicopter involved was not equipped with or deploying any such systems.

More than 200 state and local governments are using a new, nonpartisan talent program called Civic Match that’s connecting outgoing federal workers and campaign staff with new government jobs. The Civic Match program, which was launched in November by the workforce nonprofit Work for America, is a talent matching platform designed to help federal employees remain in public service, but at the state and local level. More than 1,200 outgoing federal workers and campaign staffers from both Democratic and Republican campaigns have signed up to use the platform, and 220 state and local government hiring managers are reviewing those candidates for placement in government, according to program organizers.

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