US agencies log nearly 9x more GenAI use cases in 2024 - but deployments stall

US federal government agencies have identified a surge in AI use cases over the past year. But rolling them out? That's where things slow down, thanks to funding gaps, compute shortages, outdated policies, and a workforce still playing catch-up.

A Congressionally-mandated report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) into the state of federal AI deployments found that there has been an explosion in use cases based on inventories from 11 of 12 selected agencies. The Department of Defense was included in the review but exempt from inventory reporting due to security restrictions.

According to the GAO, federal agencies reported 1,110 AI use cases in 2024, nearly double the 571 they reported the year prior. The numbers are even more stark when filtering specifically for generative AI - in that case, there was a nearly ninefold increase in identified use cases, with 282 flagged last year as compared to ...