Agency AI use doubled in 2024, GAO finds
Usage of artificial intelligence tools in several federal operations nearly doubled between 2023 and 2024, with generative AI software usage specifically increasing ninefold over the previous year, according to a new Government Accountability Office report.
In a survey conducted across 11 different agencies, GAO found that documented AI use cases grew from 571 in 2023 to 1,110 in 2024. The report was a result of multiple requests for federal agencies to prepare updated inventories of AI in their business operations, including a 2020 Executive Order and August 2024 guidance from the Federal Chief Information Officer Council.
GAO’s review found that the Department of Health and Human Services lead the way in AI adoption, with a reported total of 271 documented AI systems in place as of 2024. Behind HHS was the Department of Veterans Affairs, with 229 AI use cases in operation and the Department of Homeland Security, with 183 AI tools employed in business operations.
GAO further itemized the broad purpose for each AI use case, such as transportation, emergency management, health and medical, mission-enabling, government services, and education and workforce.
Of these categories, 61% of current AI use cases in the federal government work toward mission-enabling or internal agency support.
The 2024 survey also revealed that, within the adopted AI solutions, the majority of use cases were still in an “initiated,” or preliminary phase.
Of the major challenges GAO officials discovered through the survey, complying with existing federal policies regarding the use of AI was a frequently cited concern. Agency officials told GAO authors that crafting their own internal policies has been hindered by a lack of funding and insufficient technical talent. Despite these setbacks, agencies are continuing to develop their own bespoke AI guidance.
Agencies have also taken cues from existing policy developed in recent years — such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology’s AI Risk Management Framework and Generative AI Profile, along with GAO’s AI Accountability Framework — to inform their own AI policies and practices.
The uptick in AI use at the federal level and the corresponding development of agency-specific AI guidance has been consistently documented, with other figures from late 2024 counting over 1,700 active AI use cases across 37 agencies. The Trump administration has prioritized issuing broad federal guidance that will change the AI contracting and usage landscape, primarily focusing on banning “woke” AI from government use and ensuring transparency in model structure.
