Top 5 AI Priorities for Federal Leaders in FY26

Top 5 AI Trends Federal Leaders Should Prioritize Heading Into FY26

As fiscal year 2026 approaches, artificial intelligence has become an essential tool rather than a distant concept. Federal agencies are already applying AI to boost productivity, extract insights from complex datasets, and improve services for citizens. With innovation speeding up, it’s critical to move beyond pilots and experiments toward meaningful transformation.

Here are five AI trends that federal leaders should focus on to strengthen mission resilience, enhance service delivery, and improve operational efficiency in the coming year.

1. AI Assistants Will Mature and Multiply

AI assistants, often called copilots or virtual helpers, are becoming vital for federal employees. These tools integrate directly into daily workflows by summarizing meetings, highlighting key insights, and suggesting next steps. They can also handle tasks like form completion and research.

Advances in context awareness and user behavior recognition mean these assistants will provide personalized support across the workforce. They help reduce information overload, accelerate onboarding, and assist analysts working with data-heavy tasks, improving overall productivity.

2. ‘Build, Buy, or Extend’ Will Shape Agency AI Strategies

Agencies face a key choice: build custom AI applications, buy commercial solutions, or extend existing platforms with agency-specific data and logic. Building offers customization but demands time and resources. Buying enables faster deployment but may lack specific mission fit.

The growing trend is the “extend” approach, which uses pre-built AI platforms that agencies customize with their own data and expertise. This hybrid model balances speed with tailored capabilities, allowing agencies to focus on mission-specific value while leveraging established AI infrastructure.

3. Multimodal AI Will Enhance Interactions and Accessibility

AI is moving beyond text-based interfaces. Multimodal models can process voice, images, and speech, enabling more natural and accessible interactions. For example, a voice assistant that understands regional dialects could guide applicants through benefits processes using real-time visuals on mobile devices.

These capabilities will improve government services by making them more inclusive and user-friendly. Federal helpdesks can use AI to transcribe conversations, summarize issues, and suggest actions instantly, supporting multilingual and diverse user needs.

4. Reasoning Models Will Power More Strategic Use Cases

While traditional generative AI handles tasks like summarization well, reasoning models take AI a step further by solving multi-step problems similar to human planning. These models can analyze variables, assess risk, and recommend actions in complex scenarios.

In government, reasoning models could assist with emergency response planning, logistics coordination, and multi-agency collaboration by simulating scenarios and prioritizing actions based on resources. Early exploration and pilot programs will help agencies understand their potential.

5. AI Agents Will Operate Autonomously Within Guardrails

AI agents mark a shift from assistant roles to autonomous operators. These systems can initiate and complete tasks independently, such as submitting tickets, updating records, or coordinating workflows. Their ability to learn and take initiative makes them useful for automating repetitive or high-volume work.

However, trust and safety are paramount. AI agents must follow strict policies and have human oversight, especially when handling sensitive information or making significant decisions.

A Strategic Moment for Federal Leaders

These AI trends highlight more than just new technology—they point to building stronger capabilities, resilience, and public trust. As agencies modernize, leaders should consider where AI can add the most mission value, how to integrate it securely and responsibly, and which partnerships can accelerate progress.

Equitable and accessible AI experiences are essential for all users. Aligning AI adoption with agency goals will help the federal government deliver smarter, more responsive services grounded in practical innovation.