Setting the Stage: Utilizing AI as a Strategic Advantage
By: Anthony Monas
Have you ever found yourself hyped for a blockbuster production, only to leave the theater feeling... disappointed? The A-list cast delivers stellar performances, but something's missing. The story falls flat, and no amount of star power can fill the gap. It's not about bad acting; it's about a narrative that just doesn't hit the mark.
This same dynamic is playing out in the realm of artificial intelligence (AI). There’s no denying AI is in the process of drastically and profoundly changing our world. Discussions on the topic are saturating virtually every industry, the media, schools and kitchen table across the world.
At the same time, many government CIOs and technology leaders are struggling to adopt and implement AI, leading many to question whether the technology is truly “there” yet.
This sentiment frequently arises from chasing AI as a buzzword – a distraction that shifts focus away from productive activity. To drive real transformation in an evolving landscape, federal agencies must focus on pursuing mission-changing innovation through the intentional adoption of AI applications.
While AI can undoubtedly steal the show, its true impact lies in being part of a cohesive, well-crafted narrative that goes beyond star power to deliver strategic outcomes.
The future of AI isn’t just about capability – it’s about embracing change, inspiring the workforce, ensuring data security and achieving strategic foresight through intentional tactical execution. Let’s break it down into five essential factors.
1. AI Pragmatism: Aligning the Bigger Picture
When crafting a compelling story, directors don’t start by casting the actors – they begin by understanding the narrative and the audience. The same principle applies to effective AI implementation.
It begins with intentionality and practicality. Agencies must focus on selecting and applying the right AI approach to address specific challenges rather than force-fitting solutions where they don’t belong. Pragmatic AI implementation ensures:
AI solutions are tailored to well-defined mission needs rather than implemented for technology’s sake.
Agencies avoid costly inefficiencies that arise from deploying AI without a vision.
AI investments yield measurable outcomes that enhance operational effectiveness.
Strategic AI selection requires a deep understanding of mission goals, ensuring technology serves as an enabler rather than an unnecessary burden.
2. System of Record Prioritization: Cast the Right Data for Your AI Story
Just like a casting call where countless actors audition but only a select few get hired to bring the story to life, organizations must evaluate their data with the same discerning eye. Effective AI implementation is not about using all available data – it’s about finding the perfect fit.
Many organizations have complex and inconsistent data architectures, which often create confusion and make it difficult to trace data back to its source. In today’s data-driven environment, establishing a clear and prioritized system of record is crucial for effective AI implementation.
When AI is implemented correctly, it provides an alternate approach to our classical understanding of data engineering and data pipelines. By aligning AI initiatives with the true system of record, organizations can achieve three key benefits:
Bringing systems much closer to the true system of record.
Minimizing the complexity of your architecture.
Providing cascading benefits across enterprise technology.
By consolidating data across multiple legacy systems into a prioritized system of record, AI-driven analytics can more accurately predict maintenance needs, optimize resource allocation, or identify potential security vulnerabilities – thus transforming complex data architectures into strategic assets.
3. Harmonized Data: Building On-Screen Chemistry for Effective AI
Just like the undeniable chemistry between lead actors can make or break a movie, the harmony between data sets is crucial for AI success.
AI is only as powerful as the data it relies on. Without the right data, even the most advanced AI models will fail to deliver meaningful insights. Federal agencies must prioritize:
Data integrity – ensuring datasets are accurate, comprehensive and high-quality in order to avoid flawed AI outputs.
System interoperability – integrating AI with existing systems of record to leverage reliable, unstructured and structured data.
Use case alignment – understanding the nuances of specific mission data to drive effective AI-driven decision-making.
Rather than applying AI as a one-size-fits-all solution, agencies must first establish a strong understanding of its dataarchitecture and systems of record to enable AI to operate efficiently and ethically.
4. Humanization: Bringing Heart to AI…Inspire, Not Just Automate
Great films evoke an emotional response – they make you laugh, cry, reflect. The same should be true of effective AI. It’s not just about automating processes; it’s about creating technology that taps into the human spirit, inspiring and empowering people rather than replacing them.
Successful AI adoption requires a focus on change management, ensuring employees are empowered and inspired rather than displaced. Change management is arguably one of the most difficult challenges to technology and AI implementation and adoption. In fact, given the normalized fear of AI across our society (think Terminator, WALL-E or more modern thrillers), it may be more difficult to ensure successful adoption.
Human-centered AI implementation should:
Eliminate mundane tasks to free up personnel for higher-value, strategic work.
Ignite creativity and innovation within various disciplines by streamlining workflows.
Enhance user adoption through intuitive AI-powered tools that support rather than hinder productivity.
By prioritizing human-centered design, agencies can ensure AI solutions integrate seamlessly into existing operations while fostering a culture of innovation.AI isn’tjust about automation – it’s about motivating and inspiring humans, freeing them from the mundane and unleashing their potential to more directly impact the mission is where agencies will realize the most benefit.
5. Infrastructure Flexibility: Ensuring Your AI Blockbuster Hits Every Screen
When it comes to AI scalability, infrastructure is everything – just like the difference between a film that only plays in select theaters and a blockbuster available across streaming platforms. Whether AI is a niche indie film or a mainstream hit, the key is to build an infrastructure that supports its growth and adaptability.
AI scalability hinges on a robust infrastructure. The availability of GPUs, cloud resources and hybrid computing environments is critical to ensuring AI can evolve with user demand. We must remember cloud capacity isn’tinfinite, and GPU demand is at an all-time high across cloud providers. "Insufficient resources" is a common cloud vendor message encountered when trying to allocate GPU-based computing.
Agencies need to plan for:
Flexible cloud and on-premises strategies – leveraging managed services across multiple providers while maintaining on-premises capabilities where necessary.
Computing resource optimization – ensuring AI workloads can scale effectively, even in resource-constrained environments like GovClouds.
Interoperability and security – adapting AI deployment models to meet stringent compliance and cybersecurity requirements. Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) principles and implementation have never been more important and need to be present across AI implementation approaches.
Without an agile infrastructure, AI initiatives risk stagnation due to resource limitations or vendor lock-in.
Ensuring The Success of Your Story
Every great story needs a thoughtful script, a talented cast, and the right setting to succeed. Future-proofing AI is no different – it requires strategic foresight, adaptability and a steadfast alignment with mission-critical objectives. But perhaps most importantly, it’s about unleashing human potential across the mission, ensuring technology serves as a powerful tool in the hands of capable, inspired people.
Federal agencies that prioritize AI pragmatism, system of record prioritization, harmonized data, humanization and flexible infrastructure will not only implement effective technology but also tell a story worth watching – one where AI plays a supporting role to human ingenuity and mission success.
Partnering with Cherokee Federal
At Cherokee Federal, we’re more than technologists – we’re storytellers. We understand the challenges you face, the plot twists and turns of government missions, and the importance of crafting solutions that drive real, tangible impact. Our team of experts is ready to partner with you to implement scalable, secure and mission-aligned AI and data enablement strategies.
Through our rapid acquisition contracting solutions, including Tribal 8(a) direct awards, we help agencies accelerate their digital transformation journey. This approach allows you to start quickly, adapt seamlessly, and achieve mission success without the delays of traditional procurement processes.
Let us help bring your story to life. Contact us to learn how we can support your agency’s digital transformation and ensure your mission isn’t only successful but worthy of a standing ovation.
Anthony Monas is a VP of Technology Practices at Cherokee Federal. Based in the Washington, D.C. area, Anthony has deep experience in the intelligence community and helps government agencies transform data into a powerful asset that drives mission success and innovation. Fun fact: Anthony’s passion for problem-solving began with Legos as a child, evolving his interests into a career he is passionate about.