Nearly all US government agencies are now either using artificial intelligence or preparing to deploy it, signaling a sharp acceleration in public-sector adoption even as security and operational barriers persist.
According to a new survey commissioned by Google Public Sector and conducted by Government Executive, nearly 90% of federal civilian and defense agencies say they are already using AI or plan to do so, reflecting a shift from debating adoption to focusing on speed and scale.
The survey polled 250 federal IT leaders and influencers across agencies and found that AI is increasingly viewed as a core accelerator for government transformation rather than a speculative technology.
Despite the momentum, Google finds that significant obstacles remain. Nearly half of respondents (48%) say security and adversarial risk emerged as the single largest blocker to AI adoption, and 35% say they were concerned about reliability. Meanwhile, 4% say they were worried about workforce disruption.
Where AI is being used today, agencies are prioritizing practical, operational use cases.
“Document and data processing (54%): Automating the handling of the government’s massive paper and digital trail. Workflow and process automation (40%): Streamlining internal operations to free up employee capacity. Decision support systems (34%): Providing intelligence that improves everything from fraud detection to resource allocation.”
Looking ahead over the next 12 to 18 months, agencies expect scaling AI to hinge on removing structural constraints. About 75% of respondents say budget limitations are the biggest challenge, followed by legacy systems at 41% and skills gaps at 37%.
“As the research proves, government agencies are embracing AI now to tackle their most important work. However, crucial barriers remain across security, skills training and more.”
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