As artificial intelligence continues to reshape government technology, National Endowment for the Arts CIO and Chief AI Officer Jim Tunnessen said the technology has significant potential to accelerate modernization, streamline software development and improve operational efficiency.

Tunnessen pointed to AI-assisted development as a fundamental shift in how agencies build applications, enabling smaller teams to deliver capabilities faster than through traditional development methods. He said agencies must balance those gains with strong governance, transparency and cybersecurity guardrails. At the NEA, Tunnessen views AI as a tool for enhancing back-office operations while ensuring human judgment remains central to evaluating artistic work.