The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) highlights its key actions taken to recruit, hire, and train AI and AI-related talent into the federal government. OPM’s efforts support the AI in Government Act of 2020 and President Biden’s landmark Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI.    

Key OPM actions supporting the AI talent surge include:  

• Launched an AI Talent Surge to accelerate hiring AI professionals across the federal government, including through a large-scale hiring action for data scientists.   
  • The AI and Tech Talent Task Force created by President Biden’s Executive Order (E.O). has spearheaded this hiring action and is coordinating other key initiatives to facilitate hiring AI talent.   
  • In the past year, the AI Talent Surge resulted in onboarding over 250 AI Practitioners.  

• Granted flexible hiring authorities for federal agencies to hire AI talent, including direct hire authorities and excepted service authorities. 
  
  • In December 2023, OPM authorized agencies to use a Direct Hiring Authority to assist efforts to increase AI capabilities in the federal government by making it easier for agencies to recruit AI talent from several specialties, including IT specialists, computer scientists and engineers, and management and program analysts.  
  • This authority also increased use of temporary positions under certain Schedule A appointments to support the E.O.’s implementation.    

• Issued Skills-Based Hiring Guidance and Competency Model for Artificial Intelligence Positions to assist agencies to identify key skills and competencies needed for AI professionals and increase access to these technical roles for individuals with nontraditional academic backgrounds.  
  
  • Since the issuance of the AI in Government Act of 2020-Artificial Intelligence Competencies, OPM consulted with Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from federal agencies and conducted environmental scans, focus groups, and government-wide surveys. OPM used the qualitative and quantitative data collected to paint a comprehensive picture of AI work throughout the federal government and to validate the attached AI competency model.

• Issued Responsible Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence for the Federal Workforce to support Federal employees to learn about GenAI’s potential benefits and risks; explore best practices for safely, securely, and responsibly using GenAI in your work; and find ways to learn more about GenAI.    
• Issued Pay Flexibility, Incentive Pay, and Leave and Workforce Flexibility Programs for Artificial Intelligence (AI), AI-enabling, and Other Key Technical Employees Memo to agencies about existing benefits, flexibilities, and incentives for attracting and hiring the AI and AI Enabling talent they need. OPM encourages agencies to use all the tools at their disposal to bring in this newly emerging and highly-in-demand talent. 
• Issued the Artificial Intelligence Classification Policy and Talent Acquisition Guidance to address position classification, job evaluation, qualifications, and assessments for AI positions. 
• Contributed to the Increasing AI Capacity Across the Federal Government: AI Talent Surge Progress and Recommendations Report to the President. The report was submitted by the AI and Tech Talent Task Force, which includes OPM’s participation as one of the agency representatives.  
• Established the Tech to Gov interagency working group, made up of human resources professionals, recruiting experts, technical leads, and hiring managers to share best practices on Federal Government-wide hiring of people with AI and other technical skills.    
  
  • In April 2024, this working group in partnership with an external nonprofit coalition, hosted the Tech to Gov Forum and Virtual Job Fair focused on AI + AI-enabling talent. The job fair had more than 1,700 registered attendees, representing 50 states, resulting in approximately 1,750 one-on-one agency conversations.   
  • In October 2024, the first of three National Tech to Gov Virtual Hiring Forum and Job Fairs to be hosted in FY25 kicked off. The job fair garnered the most interest of any prior Tech to Gov event, resulting in over 2,000 registered attendees and an approximate 3,400-person waitlist. Over 200 representatives across 30 federal agencies held about 3,000 one-on-one conversations with technologists eager to join government. The next National Tech to Gov Virtual Hiring Forum and Job Fair will take place on March 20, 2024. More information can be found at Events — Tech to Gov.   
      
• Issued the Artificial Intelligence Competency Model for Civil Engineer (GS-810 series) to support agencies and ensure adequate AI expertise in these occupations in the federal government reflect the increased use of AI in critical infrastructure.   
  
  • In support of this effort, OPM consulted with SMEs, to explore the impact and use of AI on civil engineer work, and the AI competencies needed to perform civil engineering work. As part of the AI in Government Act of 2020, OPM issued a governmentwide survey to 0810 series, Civil Engineering employees and supervisors to identify critical AI competencies needed to perform civil engineering work.   

• Partnering with the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) and Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) Service for America Campaign.   
  • OPM partnered with the ONCD and the OMB to launch Service for America, the Biden-Harris Administration’s recruiting, hiring, and engagement sprint aimed at preparing our country for a digitally-enabled future by connecting Americans to good-paying, meaningful jobs in cyber, technology, and AI. During Service for America, organizations across the country committed to hiring nearly 800 individuals and to training over 100,000.   
     
• Partnering with OMB’s U.S. Digital Service (USDS) and Performance and Personnel Management (PPM) on Tech Hiring Professional Training and Development Program  
  • OPM is partnering with OMB to pilot a Tech Hiring Professional Training and Development Program. The pilot program is a four-month immersive training and development initiative to equip federal hiring professionals with the tools, knowledge, and skills necessary to navigate the rapidly changing landscape for hiring technical talent. 
     
• Gov2Gov AI Training Series 
  • OPM developed the “Artificial Intelligence Fundamentals” learning series to equip federal employees with a foundational understanding of AI, preparing them to engage in discussions, ask informed questions, and implement approved AI tools within their agencies. Through the series, OPM delivered 14 training sessions for nearly 18k federal employees, supervisors, and senior executives across more than 100 federal agencies. A recording of the session will be made available on OPM’s Workforce of the Future site: Workforce of the Future - OPM.gov. 
     

The Biden-Harris Administration issued fact sheets highlights key AI actions on the 90-days, 180-days, and one-year mark since President Biden issued the AI EO.