Artificial Intelligence: Generative AI Use and Management at Federal Agencies
Government Accountability Office07/29/2025
Fast Facts
Generative AI—which can create text, images, audio, video, and other content—could dramatically increase productivity and transform the federal government workplace. Agencies can use it to support internal operations, streamline service delivery, and more. But it may also spread misinformation and present national security and environmental risks.
From 2023 to 2024, agencies’ use of generative AI increased ninefold. As agencies deploy generative AI, they report encountering challenges such as complying with federal policies while keeping up with this rapidly evolving technology.
Conceptual artificial intelligence hologram overlayed on the White House
Highlights
What GAO Found
Across the 11 selected agencies GAO reviewed with artificial intelligence (AI) inventories, the total number of reported AI use cases nearly doubled from 571 in 2023 to 1,110 in 2024. At the same time, generative AI use cases increased about nine-fold, from 32 to 282. See the figure for the numbers of generative AI use cases agencies submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Generative AI offers potential benefits. In the mission-support area, the technology could improve written communications, information access efficiency, and program status tracking. Program-specific examples include:
- The Department of Veterans Affairs started an effort to automate various medical imaging processes to enhance veterans’ diagnostic services.
- To support containment of the poliovirus, the Department of Health and Human Services initiated an effort to extract information from publications and identify outbreaks in areas previously thought to be polio-free.
Agency officials told GAO that they face several challenges to using generative AI, such as: complying with existing federal policies and guidance, having sufficient technical resources and budget, and maintaining up-to-date appropriate use policies. For example, officials at 10 of 12 selected agencies said existing federal policy, such as data privacy policy, could present obstacles to adoption. Furthermore, officials at four agencies told GAO that the technology’s rapid evolution can complicate establishment of generative AI policies and practices.
Agencies are beginning to take steps to address challenges by, among other things, (1) leveraging available AI frameworks and guidance to inform their own policies and (2) engaging in collaborative efforts with other agencies. During this time, executive branch AI guidance was significantly revised in early 2025. Accordingly, in conjunction with efforts to address challenges, agencies are incorporating these revisions into their management of generative AI.
Why GAO Did This Study
Recent growth in AI capabilities has spurred a corresponding rise in public interest. Developments in generative AI—which can create text, images, audio, video, and other content when prompted by a user—have revolutionized how the technology can be used in many industries. However, generative AI has risks such as spreading misinformation and presenting national security and environmental risks.
GAO was asked to describe federal agencies’ efforts to pursue generative AI. This report is the fourth in a body of work on generative AI. GAO’s objectives included describing selected agencies’ ongoing and planned uses of generative AI and resulting potential benefits as well as describing agencies’ challenges in using and managing generative AI and efforts to address these challenges.
GAO selected 12 agencies that publicly reported having generative AI use cases in 2023 or 2024. GAO reviewed AI use case inventories submitted by 11 agencies (the Department of Defense is exempt from the requirement). GAO also analyzed challenges reported by the 12 agencies and categorized those most frequently mentioned. Additionally, GAO interviewed officials from OMB and the Office of Science and Technology Policy about their government-wide policies and guidance on generative AI.
For more information, contact Candice N. Wright at WrightC@gao.gov and Kevin Walsh at WalshK@gao.gov.