David Birken, newly appointed SVP of ICF’s digital modernization and experience business, sat down with OS AI to discuss how the company is tackling the biggest challenges in federal digital modernization. With two decades of experience at ICF, Birken emphasizes a mission-first approach, highlighting the crucial interplay between technology and workforce enablement.
Bridging the Gap
“IT modernization isn’t just about the latest tech. It’s about understanding the mission and empowering the workforce to achieve it.” Birken cites ICF’s disaster response work as a prime example. “Responders on the ground need reliable IT systems, accessible data, and functioning infrastructure. When done right, technology fades into the background, enabling seamless operations.”
ICF leverages its 2,000 technologists to bridge this gap, delivering solutions that exceed industry standards. This focus on human-centered design is critical for successful modernization in government.
The AI Balance
There is not a person in IT today who does not recognize that AI is the future. But what that future looks like, and how to balance AI, remain unclear. “AI thrives on structured, organized data, but the risks are real. It’s finding the balance and trade-offs, finding the use cases that make sense and where we can leverage AI safely.”
ICF advocates for utilizing dummy data and closed systems to test AI applications, collaborating with domain experts to refine variables and mitigate risks. “Human oversight is crucial. We need to manage risk, make informed decisions, and remain thoughtful about AI implementation.”
Data at the Heart
“If we say AI is the future, then data is the fuel. It’s the key to understanding how people act and how we can make better decisions, ensuring we are leveraging the resources we have appropriately.”
The challenge for government, and industry, remains ensuring the data is available, accessible and ready to be put to the test. “Data needs to be rigorously tested and validated.”
Federal agencies, like private industry, are at different stages of AI adoption. Some are at the bleeding edge, pioneering innovative applications and governance frameworks, while others are still focused on modernizing their foundational systems. “Some agencies are really leading the charge while others are still working to step away from legacy systems they had been dependent upon. The role of industry needs to be that of an advisor, looking critically at what is there, working to understand what the agency wants or needs to achieve, and then walking them down the path that will be most effective.”
Birken sees immense potential in agencies that are early in their modernization journey. “There’s a whole menu of possibilities. Industry can help evaluate alternatives, consider budget constraints, and drive progress in alignment with mission.”
Mission Outcomes and Multi-tech Fluency
At the end of the day, Birken stresses the importance of aligning technology with mission outcomes to help avoid the pitfall of looking towards something that looks really exciting, but then finding there’s nothing there under the hood. “Whether it’s AI, data, or cloud solutions, every action must address a real challenge and relate to a tangible outcome.”
It is also critical to come to the table with a broad portfolio view. “We’re always looking for new ways of doing things. That may be new technologies, but it also may be new ways of acting within an existing platform that may be more cost-effective or deliver better outcomes.”
Proven Success Built on Ideas from Across the Spectrum
ICF fosters a culture of innovation, encouraging ideas from all levels. “There isn’t a lot of ‘no’ here. It doesn’t matter if you’re the senior vice president or an entry level person who just joined us out of grad school, if you have an idea, we want to hear it.”
ICF empowers its employees to drive innovation through various channels. From internal forums and funding opportunities to expert collaborations and dedicated “safe spaces” for brainstorming, the company fosters a culture where ideas can flourish and translate into real-world solutions.
Mission and AI in action
ICF’s commitment to innovation is evident in its recent work with agencies like the CDC, FDA, and HIV.gov. Just some of this team’s recent wins include:
- CDC: ICF evaluated the power of generative AI to increase efficiency and maximize public health outcomes, identifying several first use cases specific to CDC’s desired outcomes and needs.
- FDA: ICF created a Computerized Label Assessment Tool (CLAT) to streamline and enhance drug safety reviews.
- ICF data scientists and engineers also worked with FDA to create a searchable database of a century’s worth of public health alerts and news releases.
- gov: ICF’s HIV experts worked with HIV.gov to use generative AI to train a client-facing chatbot, improving program delivery while keeping user data secure.
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