As Technology Reshapes the World, We Keep Congress Informed of Emerging Trends, Issues

Congress is increasingly focused on emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, and scientific discoveries that could reshape medicine, computing, and space exploration. Our nation’s leaders have also proposed legislation on how to balance support for innovation with protecting Americans against the possible threats these advancements pose.

As the new Congress considers these issues, we can help!

Today’s WatchBlog post looks at our new report on how we are expanding our support for Congress in science and technology.

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How does GAO help Congress respond to emerging technology and science issues?

GAO has worked on science and technology for decades. But in 2019, at the direction of Congress, we launched a new team—called Science, Technology Assessment, and Analytics (STAA)—to expand our work in these areas. It includes engineers, chemists, biologists, physical scientists, and other technical experts. They work alongside GAO policy analysts to assess emerging technologies and trends, examine their opportunities and risks, and provide options for policymakers.

Since 2019, our STAA team has issued almost 150 reports, which include more than 120 policy options and hundreds of recommendations for federal agencies. Most of our work responds to direct congressional requests, but we also anticipate Members’ needs by initiating some work on our own.

We also provide supportive services to Congress. For example,

• We meet with congressional committees and Members to listen to their priorities, share our work, and answer questions about emerging science and technology.
   
• We host quarterly briefings with Members and staff about upcoming work and exchange ideas for future reports and services.
   
• Our Chief Scientist hosts weekly office hours on Capitol Hill, as well as monthly “Let’s Talk Science” events, where our scientists, specialists, and policy analysts present on various science and technology topics.

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A quick look at emerging technologies of congressional interest

Just in the last 2 years, we have highlighted several emerging technologies and science trends that Congress and Americans may grapple with in the near future. Here are some examples:

Forecasting severe weather and wildfire events more accurately. Each year, severe storms, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires kill hundreds of people and cause billions of dollars in damage in the United States. Meteorologists and scientists are looking for new ways to improve forecasts for these events—including through machine learning—a type of artificial intelligence.

This technology could improve model accuracy, increase warning times, and reduce uncertainty. But there are challenges in developing and adopting it more widely. For example, there may not be enough data for some rural areas to properly train machine learning models. In 2023, we sat down with GAO’s Brian Bothwell to learn more about the status of this effort. Listen to our podcast to learn more.

Revolutionizing medical technology to help millions. Regenerative medicine could provide new treatments for cancer, diabetes, and other deadly diseases.

How does it work? Regenerative medicine restores or replaces human cells, tissues, or organs—sometimes even by using a patient’s own cells to create the cure they need. It could not only save lives, but reduce the cost of treating chronic disease, which runs to almost $4 trillion a year in the U.S. alone.

Not surprisingly, researchers face major challenges in creating these cures. And even if they succeed, there’s another obstacle—developing ways to mass produce these treatments and make them widely available. We’ve outlined actions policymakers could take to help address these challenges in our July 2023 blog post.

Improving farm efficiency and yields. Precision agriculture uses technologies, such as auto-systems on tractors, to make farms more efficient. Other technologies can vary the application of farm inputs such as herbicide or fertilizer at optimized levels at specific locations, depending on what is needed, to maximize yields. In addition, dairy farmers can use activity monitors to collect data about their cows' health.

While precision agriculture comes with many benefits, there are some challenges. For example, the up-front costs of some of the technologies can be prohibitive for farmers with limited resources or access to capital. There are also concerns about ownership and control of farm data and potential disclosures that may result in a loss of competitive advantage.

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Check out our full report on precision agriculture and the video above to learn more. And read our new report for Congress about the work we do to support their efforts to better understand emerging advancements and the policy challenges they present. We can’t predict these advancements, but we are committed to helping Congress prepare for whatever is to come.

• GAO’s fact-based, nonpartisan information helps Congress and federal agencies improve government. The WatchBlog lets us contextualize GAO’s work a little more for the public. Check out more of our posts at GAO.gov/blog.
   
• Got a comment, question? Email us at blog@gao.gov.