How is AI being applied to maximize the Oversight community’s impact with limited resources?

Christina Ho is joined by seasoned analytics executives Taka Ariga (Chief Data Scientist & Director of Innovation Lab at US Government Accountability Office) and Renata Maziarz Miskell (Acting Chief Data & Analytics Officer for the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General) to discuss how AI is being applied to maximize the Oversight community’s impact with limited resources.

Listen as they discuss the most significant business challenges and accountability concerns in Oversight due to the increased use of AI, how the Oversight community can share technology and human capital resources to become more effective, where they envision data science usage will be in the next 5 to 10 years given recent trends, and more topics.

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In this episode you will learn:

The biggest challenges for Oversight and how they are overcome using data science and AI.
The innovative work that Taka and Renata’s teams have been doing and the outcomes they have seen.
Accountability concerns, specifically with regard to ethical practices, caused by the increased use of AI.
Opportunities in the Oversight community to share technological and human capital resources.
Where Taka and Renata envision data science in the government will be 5-10 years from now given current trends.
What motives Taka and Renata to drive government innovation.

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About This Episode's Participants

Taka Ariga | Guest

Taka Ariga is the first Chief Data Scientist appointed by the Comptroller General of the United States for the Government Accountability Office. He also leads GAO’s newly established Innovation Lab in driving problem-centric experiments across audit and operational teams through novel use of advanced analytics and emerging technologies. As a member of the Senior Executive Service, Taka is also responsible for working with GAO stakeholders to adopt prospective views on oversight impacts of emerging capabilities such as AI, cloud services, blockchains, RPA, 5G, and IoT.

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Renata Maziarz Miskell | Guest

Renata Maziarz Miskell is the Acting Chief Data and Analytics Officer for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office of Inspector General (OIG) where she works to empower HHS OIG to use data proactively to protect the integrity of HHS programs as well as the health and welfare of the people they serve. In her role, Renata focuses on developing and implementing advanced analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities to support OIG in efficiently and effectively executing its oversight mission.

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Christina Ho | Host

Christina Ho is the former VP of Government Analytics & Innovation at Elder Research where she utilized decades of broad experience in public finance, policy development, strategic planning, program and financial management, accounting and auditing, data analytics, and technology innovation to enable impactful government actions and transformation. Among many accomplishments, she was the former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Financial Transparency at US Treasury and was responsible for leading the implementation of the DATA Act of 2014.

Key Moments From This Episode

3:44 Renata talks about the challenges of oversight and why they are looking to overcome these challenges using data science and AI.

5:35 Taka also talks about the challenges of oversight and why they are looking to overcome these challenges using data science and AI.

8:49 Renata talks about what she has seen in terms of trying to implement AI in data science machine learning in their program, lessons learned and what outcomes they have achieved.

13:52 Taka also talks about things he has seen trying to implement AI in data science machine learning, lessons learned, outcomes achieved and the AI ethics too at a micro and macro level.

19:56 Taka also talks more about the AI ethics and the cyber security domain and the adversarial machine learning.

22:00 Renata also talks about if she sees any synergies and also opportunity for the oversight community to share resources and if so, how it could happen in the most effective way.

26:34 Taka talks about the trends he is seeing for data science for the next 5 to 10 years even thought technology keeps on changing and what GAO is doing.

35:28 Taka also talks about what gives him the strength to keep on doing the hard things such as innovating especially in the government at a business and also personal level.

37:43 Renata also talks about where she gets the strength from to keep on doing the hard things in life at a business and also personal level such as innovating in the government.