Capgemini Government Solutions’ Bill Webner on Military Uses of AI and Cybersecurity Best Practices – GovCon Wire

Over the past eight years and more, Bill Weber helped an information technology services and consulting company Enter it better serve federal clients in the national security, defence, civilian and health sectors. As part of his work as vice president of the organization’s Government Solutions arm, Webner oversaw digital transformation efforts involving cloud, data, artificial intelligence and connectivity, as well as engineering digital and platform services.

Prior to his time at CGS, Webner served as Practice Leader at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked for nearly 14 years. He’s something of a jack-of-all-trades, holding both an MBA from George Washington University and an MLA in Classics from St. John’s College. Webner also sits on the finance committee and the government security committee of the CGS board.

In this Executive Spotlight interview, Webner spoke with GovCon Wire about his thoughts on how artificial intelligence can be deployed effectively on the battlefield, the importance of accountability in cybersecurity activities and more.

An important part of being a company with a strong business ethic in the federal sector is helping and giving back to the community at large. Can you talk to the different charities and work with other organizations your business does to make a difference and how people can get involved?

As part of Capgemini’s broader Northeast geography, we are combining our efforts across multiple states to bring our employees together in a common goal of giving back to the wider community. Our ongoing, annual volunteer efforts aim to support local community efforts as well as national efforts to empower our youth and underrepresented groups, who hold many of the ideas and skills that influence the future of the federal sector.

With artificial intelligence and machine learning having a huge impact on most industries and the US military as we move forward, what impressed you most about the abilities of technology to improve grip decision-making in the federal sector and in all areas? Additionally, how can AI be used to address some of the biggest challenges you see in your industry?

For routine purposes, AI-based decision making with explainability features and human oversight has proven to be extremely useful, such as analyzing trends to detect fraud, predict market trends and purchase preferences, recommend actions to improve the customer experience, and suggest medical diagnosis and treatments. All of these cases increase the human ability to identify, decide and react more quickly to the task at hand. AI has the potential to make instant on-the-ground decisions on the battlefield. It can even help to avoid human dispositions towards various biases on the battlefield, but it requires a high level of trust in the AI ​​and the team that develops and maintains it.

What do you see as the most critical challenges facing members of the federal sector as cybersecurity continues to grow in importance and cyber hygiene becomes a necessity for all businesses and even more critical at the level of national security?

Cyber ​​attackers are constantly discovering new ways to penetrate organizations’ networks. As a result, companies in both the public and private sectors must constantly be on the defensive, leveraging technologies such as AI to overcome ongoing cat-and-mouse scenarios to effectively trace, isolate and eradicate breaches. Currently, Capgemini Government Solutions views the insider threat as a growing cybersecurity challenge. In these cases, the potentially malicious insider is already in the organization’s network and, in many cases, trusted. Experts therefore need to understand patterns of activity to identify and verify insider threats without disrupting operations. As a trusted federal contractor, we practice what we preach. Capgemini Government Solutions prioritizes cybersecurity, starting with our own workforce and networks through training, continuous verification of good cyber hygiene, and implementation of a set of security maturity model certification practices. cybersecurity (CMMC).

Over the past few years, what are some of the biggest improvements you’ve seen in the way we talk and think about innovation in the federal sector since the rise of cybersecurity, AI/ML, 5G and other emerging technologies?

The pace of technological change is only increasing and to remain competitive we must continue to innovate and progress. The increased use of other transaction authorizations (OTAs) and federally-supported innovation competitions has given the government the ability to rapidly test new and innovative commercial and non-traditional solutions that exist outside of the federal marketplace. This process helps to limit the costs associated with testing a new solution. Additionally, businesses that traditionally focused on the commercial sector now have an easier way to do business with the government, resulting in a win-win situation for both parties.