Under President Donald Trump’s second administration, the federal government has dramatically increased the use of artificial intelligence, following a 2025 directive from the White House Office of Management and Budget that urged agencies to adopt AI aggressively and cut bureaucratic barriers to its deployment. According to agency disclosures, 29 federal departments reported nearly 3,000 AI use cases by the end of 2025, up from about 1,684 the prior year, with hundreds classified as “high impact” — meaning they influence key decisions and operations.
AI Deployed Across Sensitive Functions
AI tools are being embedded in core government operations, not just administrative support. For example, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are using new facial recognition technologies to aid enforcement, while the FBI has purchased systems to sift through large volumes of data and help generate investigative leads. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is developing AI applications to improve health care services, streamline benefits processing, and even predict suicide risk among veterans. Agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services listed dozens of ongoing AI projects tied to health care and research.
Rapid Rollout Raises Oversight Concerns
The Trump administration has emphasized speed and efficiency, positioning AI as a way to make government work faster and more cost-effectively. However, the pace and breadth of deployment have sparked criticism from privacy and civil-liberties experts, who warn that rushing AI into sensitive areas — especially law enforcement, immigration enforcement, and health care — risks public trust and rights protections if appropriate oversight and guardrails are not in place. Some experts argue that transparency, error correction, and accountability frameworks are still lacking as agencies expand AI use.
AI as Infrastructure Across Government
Beyond policing and benefits systems, AI adoption has spread into scientific research, environmental monitoring, and public records access. Some agencies have launched hundreds of chatbots to assist both employees and the public, and experimental projects include using AI to digitize archives and track ecological data through automated systems. At the same time, defense and security programs (which don’t have to publicly disclose details) are also said to be rapidly expanding their use of AI for intelligence and operational purposes, underscoring how deeply the administration is integrating AI into government infrastructure.
