The Department of Education has tapped its Chief Technology Officer Vijay Sharma to serve as the agency’s responsible AI officer and chief AI officer (CAIO), a department spokesperson confirmed to MeriTalk on Tuesday.
Sharma will be fulfilling the AI responsibilities as outlined in the Biden administration’s recent AI executive order and the Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) draft AI guidance for Federal agencies, the Education Department said.
OMB released its new draft policy on Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence on the heels of President Biden’s long-awaited AI executive order (EO).
The 26-page draft policy – which OMB is seeking public comments on through Dec. 5 – calls for the head of all agencies to designate a CAIO.
The CAIO would have the responsibility to advise agency leadership on AI, coordinate and track the agency’s AI activities, advance the use of AI in the agency’s mission, and oversee the management of AI risks.
OMB’s document spells out more than a dozen explicit responsibilities of the CAIOs at each agency. Specifically, the AI lead would be responsible for actions like advising on the resourcing requirements and workforce skillsets necessary for applying AI to the agency’s mission and advocating within their agency and to the public on the opportunities and benefits of AI.
According to his LinkedIn page, Sharma has served as the department’s chief technology officer for over eight years. He began his career in the Federal government in 2010, where he served as the branch chief of the Enterprise Services Implementation Division at the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
