2026 GT100: What It Will Take to Scale AI in Government?

by  Thad Rueter

As fears of an AI “bubble” persist, officials and gov tech suppliers are looking to move past pilots and deploy larger, more permanent projects that bring tangible benefits. But getting there is easier said than done.

Summary

Public-sector artificial intelligence is moving beyond the pilot stage, but scaling it remains a challenge. A NASCIO survey found 82 percent of state CIOs report employees using generative AI daily, with 90 percent running pilot projects. Mississippi CIO Craig Orgeron calls AI “democratizing tech in a generational way we’ve never seen,” predicting it will augment workers rather than replace them.

Despite optimism, hurdles remain — including concerns about an AI bubble, ROI pressures, and data-hygiene gaps. MIT found 95 percent of organizations using generative AI are seeing zero return, and only 5 percent of pilots reach meaningful deployment.

Customer service, fraud detection, permitting, and emergency dispatch are seen as the most promising areas for near-term scale — assuming agencies invest in the right foundations first.

 Read full story at Government Technology

GovTech Trends 2026: A Government Perspective

by  Scott Buchholz

The artificial intelligence (AI) imperative for government innovation

Summary

This report provides a government-specific take on Deloitte's Tech Trends 2026, spotlighting the accelerating technology trends most likely to disrupt enterprise IT over the next 18 to 24 months.

Learn how public sector organizations can harness emerging technologies, especially AI, to redesign processes, align investments with mission objectives, and transform operations for the future.

 Get full report at Deloitte

The US Government Is Headed for Disruptive Digital Transformation in 2026

by  Roger Cressey

Expect many improvements across public-sector tech this year, a former Clinton and Bush cybersecurity expert writes.

Summary

The U.S. government is poised for significant digital transformation in 2026, with a focus on strengthening cybersecurity and leveraging innovative technology.

Initiatives like the National Design Studio, online application systems, and the Department of Transportation's transition to Google Workspace aim to improve public services and security.

Additionally, the government's AI initiatives, including the Genesis Mission and HHS strategy, are expected to drive efficiency gains.

 Read full story at Fedscoop

7+ Phone Privacy Settings to Check and Turn Off ASAP — to Avoid Exposing Your Personal Data

by  Charlie Osborne

Your phone holds a lot of personal information, from where you go to who you talk to every day. Here's how to limit what can access your data and when.

Summary

Your smartphone can quietly expose more personal data than you realize — and the culprit is often app permissions. Whether you use Android or iOS, every app you install requests access to features like your location, camera, microphone, contacts, or health data. Granting too much access opens the door to profiling, targeted advertising, and even malicious surveillance.

The most critical permissions to audit are location, camera, and microphone – each should be set to “only while using the app” or disabled entirely for apps that don’t need them. Health data, calendars, contacts, and SMS access deserve equal scrutiny.

Experts recommend reviewing permissions every few months, deleting unused apps, and keeping software updated to close vulnerabilities before bad actors can exploit them.

 Read full story at ZDNET

Microsoft Exchange Flaw Lets Attackers Spoof Any Email Address

by  Alexander Culafi,

“Ghost-Sender” is the result of a widespread misconfiguration, according to researchers, and evidence indicates it's being actively abused in the wild.

Summary

A newly disclosed vulnerability in Microsoft Exchange — dubbed “Ghost-Sender” by Swiss cybersecurity firm InfoGuard — allows attackers to send spoofed emails from any user to organizations running Exchange Online or on-premises Exchange in hybrid mode with a third-party mail server. The attack bypasses SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protections entirely, and Outlook even resolves the spoofed sender’s profile picture.

The exploit requires just a single PowerShell command, and Microsoft’s own configuration analyzer doesn’t flag the vulnerability. InfoGuard says fewer than half of exposed organizations have applied mitigations. Microsoft support called it an “architectural limitation” rather than a security flaw – a response InfoGuard disputes.

Organizations can mitigate the risk by configuring partner connectors, creating mail flow rules, and disabling the Direct Send feature.

 Read full story at Dark Reading

WWDC 2026: Apple's 7 Biggest AI Upgrades, Ranked

by  Ruben Circelli

From a supercharged Siri to an enhanced Safari, Apple is going all-in on generative and on-device AI. These are the changes that will transform how you use your iPhone, Mac, and more.

Summary

Apple's WWDC 2026 showcased significant AI upgrades, including a reimagined Siri with enhanced conversational abilities and deep integration across operating systems.

Apple Intelligence prioritizes user privacy, running locally or on the secure Private Cloud Compute service. The new ecosystem offers seamless cross-platform functionality, improved communication features, advanced image editing tools, and natural language-based automation creation.

 Read full story at PCMag

Energy Department to Invest $350 Million to Build, Modernize, and Restart Coal Plants

by  U.S. Department of Energy

The U.S. Department of Energy announced the selection of four coal modernization and reliability projects to strengthen coal-based generation, grid reliability, and strategic energy infrastructure.

Summary

The U.S. Department of Energy has selected four coal modernization projects under its “Restoring Reliability: Coal Recommissioning and Modernization” initiative, awarding up to $350 million to expand and upgrade America’s coal fleet. Combined, the projects could add or preserve approximately 3,565 megawatts of coal-fired capacity — enough to power roughly three million households annually.

The four projects include two new coal-fired plants in Anchorage, Alaska, and Mt. Storm, West Virginia; a retrofit of an existing plant in Guayama, Puerto Rico; and the recommissioning of a Maryland facility shuttered in 2024. DOE has committed $525 million overall to the initiative, including $175 million for six previously announced upgrades.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright called coal “essential to American energy dominance,” saying the investments will ensure affordable, reliable power for decades to come.

 Read full story at Energy.gov

Demand-Response Programs Can Lower Utility Bills, but Beware of On-Site Power Restrictions, Experts Say

by  Robert Freedman

Virginia passed a law encouraging utilities to offer big power users the opportunity to participate in load-shedding programs, but for facilities, signing up is not an easy decision.

Summary

Virginia has enacted legislation requiring Dominion Energy and Appalachian Power to offer demand-response programs to large energy customers — a move aimed at relieving grid pressure in a state home to the world’s highest concentration of data centers. But a key EPA restriction limits how data centers can use backup generators for demand response, particularly those operating within Regional Transmission Organization or Independent System Operator territory.

Upgrading generators to meet stricter emission standards can cost $100,000 to $500,000 or more per engine – and non-compliance carries severe regulatory consequences beyond simple fines.

Battery storage is emerging as a cleaner alternative. A separate Virginia law now directs utilities to procure more than 21,000 megawatts from energy storage systems by 2045, offering facilities a compliant path to grid participation.

 Read full story at FacilitiesDive

Utilities Report as Many as 30 Data Centers Under Discussion in Kentucky

by  Liam Niemeyer

Lack of regulations, cheap energy costs make state a prime target for new industry

Summary

Kentucky communities are bracing for a potential wave of hyperscale data centers as the state’s largest utility, LG&E and KU, reports nearly 30 projects in its pipeline — with 11 carrying at least a 50% chance of locating in the state. Combined, those projects could demand 3.5 gigawatts of electricity, enough to power more than two million homes.

Residents near proposed sites are raising concerns about rising electricity bills, water use, noise, property values, and the transformation of rural farmland. A GOP-backed bill that would have required data centers to cover their own infrastructure costs failed in the legislature’s final session.

Meanwhile, TeraWulf – a Bitcoin mining company turned data center developer – has announced two large Kentucky projects, drawing both economic optimism and community pushback.

 Read full story at Kentucky Lantern