USDA is using AI — but doesn’t have required controls to manage risks, watchdog finds
USDA is using AI — but doesn’t have required controls to manage risks, watchdog finds
Publish Date: 2026-05-19 16:25:00
Source Domain: www.nextgov.com
- The Agriculture Department is deploying artificial intelligence to identify supply chain risks and estimate corn and soybean yields, with implications during the permitting process.
- The department lacks required cybersecurity and governance controls for its AI initiatives, as noted in a recent inspector general report.
- Despite federal standards requiring full implementation of cyber and risk controls in AI systems for critical applications, the department has not fully complied due to prioritizing AI use over control implementation.
- The report finds the department at risk of data breaches and reputational harm due to insufficient governance and a lack of strong cybersecurity protocols around AI.
- Only a chief AI officer has been installed to oversee AI initiatives, but necessary agency policy updates and minimum risk management practices for high-risk AI systems have not been put in place.
- Almost no AI use cases in the department’s fiscal year 2024 inventory had an operational authority, meaning that risks related to the deployment of these technologies are not being formally assessed.
- The inventory is insufficient to account for all potential dangers, potentially allowing ‘shadow AI’—unauthorized AI usage—to proliferate without oversight.
- The department agrees with the recommendations provided by the watchdog to implement controls and update policies aimed at addressing these issues.
