U.S. Department of Agriculture Fiscal Year 2025–2026 AI Strategy

Overview

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Fiscal Year 2025–2026 AI Strategy represents the department's inaugural comprehensive approach to integrating artificial intelligence (AI) across its diverse mission areas. This foundational document is designed to enhance the health, safety, and prosperity of American agriculture by leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies. Announced by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the strategy is a direct response to the rapid advancements in technology and builds upon President Biden's executive orders that advocate for the safe, secure, and trustworthy development and use of artificial intelligence. At its core, the strategy is anchored in a steadfast commitment to transparency, ethics, and accountability, recognizing AI's transformative potential while prioritizing its responsible application.

The strategy establishes a comprehensive, mission-aligned framework for the responsible use of AI within the USDA. It aims to build the necessary foundation to significantly enhance the USDA's AI capabilities, infrastructure, and workforce. By institutionalizing the department's existing, responsible use of AI and charting a clear path forward, the strategy seeks to support data-informed decision-making, improve operational efficiency, and ultimately enhance the USDA's ability to serve the American people, including farmers, ranchers, producers, and rural communities. This strategic integration of AI is envisioned to strengthen the future of American agriculture for generations to come, fostering innovation while ensuring public trust in how these technologies are deployed.

Definitions

The USDA AI Strategy adopts a broad definition of Artificial Intelligence, acknowledging its diverse applications and rapidly evolving nature. This inclusive definition encompasses not only traditional AI systems that perform tasks such as classification, grouping, or action selection, but also extends to advanced analytics and generative AI. Generative AI, a subcategory of AI, is specifically highlighted for its capability to produce new content, including but not limited to code, images, music, text, simulations, 3D objects, and videos. This distinction is crucial as generative AI tools, such as ChatGPT and other similar platforms, have demonstrated the potential to significantly improve productivity across various functional areas, including help desk support, drafting communications, summarizing documents, and automating code development.

Beyond the technical definitions, the strategy implicitly defines key operational terms within the context of AI implementation. 'Responsible AI' is understood as the deployment of AI systems in a manner that respects privacy, safeguards data, minimizes biases, and ensures transparency and accountability throughout the AI lifecycle. 'AI governance' refers to the establishment of robust leadership structures, policies, roles, and responsibilities to oversee AI activities across the department, ensuring ethical and compliant use. 'AI-ready workforce' signifies a workforce equipped with the necessary skills and competencies to effectively develop, implement, and manage AI technologies, with human expertise remaining central to the design and continuous improvement of these systems. These definitions collectively form the conceptual bedrock upon which the USDA's AI integration efforts are built, ensuring a common understanding and consistent application of AI principles.

Governance and Institutional Framework

The USDA AI Strategy establishes a robust governance and institutional framework designed to ensure the responsible, safe, and value-added use of AI across the department. Central to this framework is the appointment of a Chief AI Officer (CAIO), a critical leadership role responsible for guiding the department's AI initiatives. Complementing the CAIO, the USDA has established an AI Council and a Generative AI Review Board (GAIRB), which collectively strengthen the pillars of AI governance at the departmental level. These bodies are tasked with maturing the USDA's AI governance structures, empowering Mission Area Assistant Chief AI Officers (ACAIOs), and clearly defining AI policies, roles, and responsibilities throughout the enterprise.

The framework also emphasizes cascading AI governance to the Mission Area, Staff Office, Agency, and Program levels. This ensures that AI oversight complements unique program-specific requirements and processes, whether through existing oversight structures or newly created bodies. A key action within this framework is the deployment of a clear, risk-based evaluation framework to assess, prioritize, and track AI use cases. This framework supports Department operations, strategic priorities, and mission delivery, aligning with existing USDA strategies. Furthermore, the USDA commits to adopting and adapting AI policies and risk-based frameworks that protect human rights, health, and safety, while mitigating risks through transparency, accountability, and inclusivity. This comprehensive governance structure aims to foster innovation and collaboration while maintaining appropriate levels of oversight for AI projects throughout their lifecycle.

Key Focus Areas

The USDA AI Strategy outlines several key focus areas to guide the department's integration of artificial intelligence, all aimed at enhancing its mission delivery and operational efficiency. One primary area is Workforce Development, where the USDA commits to strategically developing, recruiting, and retaining a diverse workforce with essential AI skills and competencies. This includes promoting upskilling and shared training resources through initiatives like the USDA Data Science Training Program, ensuring that human expertise remains central to the design and improvement of AI technologies.

Another critical focus is Infrastructure and Data Readiness. The strategy emphasizes promoting and developing secure, scalable infrastructure and tools that encourage trustworthy, high-impact, and innovative AI use. This involves expanding common infrastructure, establishing robust AI infrastructure standards, and prioritizing investments in tools and solutions that support testing and experimentation. Concurrently, the USDA aims to ensure data readiness and access for AI by providing clear guidance on data stewardship, supporting timely and effective data usage, and building confidence in AI outputs. This includes investing in data management practices, documenting metadata, and developing guidelines for data classification related to AI use cases.

The strategy also prioritizes Risk Management and Ethical Considerations, ensuring that proper risk frameworks and human oversight are in place across the AI lifecycle to evaluate and mitigate potential bias and undesirable outcomes. This involves monitoring industry developments and vendor use of AI to prevent improper use and ensure compliance with federal and departmental policy. Finally, the strategy identifies specific Sector-Specific Use Cases within agriculture, where AI can have an outsized impact. These include identifying risks in the supply chain, estimating crop yields, making recommendations during the permitting process, pest identification, analyzing land ownership, disaster relief, fraud detection, and loan modernization, all contributing to food production, resilience, and national security.

Implementation Framework

The implementation framework for the USDA AI Strategy is designed to facilitate the strategic and responsible integration of AI systems across all departmental functions. This framework emphasizes a collaborative approach, engaging hundreds of programmatic, operational, and executive stakeholders across Mission Areas and Staff Offices to ensure broad alignment and effective adoption. The strategy seeks to support USDA's existing culture of innovation and data-informed decision-making by strategically integrating AI into its federated operating environment. The goals and objectives outlined in the document are a direct result of a current state assessment, providing a clear roadmap for responsible and effective AI adoption.

Key to this framework is the empowerment of employees and the provision of a robust, flexible, and transparent governance structure that fosters innovation and encourages collaboration. The USDA intends to leverage AI to reshape how it meets its goals and improves operations through targeted use cases and the effective deployment of cutting-edge solutions. This involves implementing scalable AI systems that enhance decision-making, automate routine processes, and improve mission outcomes. The department will also establish or adopt cost-effective, accessible, and flexible standards for AI infrastructure and tools, strategically investing in resources that support testing, experimentation, and the sharing of code and models to promote beneficial AI use cases for both USDA operations and mission delivery.

Monitoring and Evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation are integral components of the USDA AI Strategy, designed to ensure the continuous responsible use, effectiveness, and compliance of AI systems. The strategy mandates the establishment of robust risk frameworks and the maintenance of human oversight throughout the entire AI lifecycle. This proactive approach is crucial for evaluating and mitigating potential biases, undesirable outcomes, and unforeseen risks that may arise from AI deployment. The USDA is committed to regularly monitoring industry developments and the use of AI by vendors to prevent improper applications and ensure strict adherence to both federal and departmental policy requirements.

Furthermore, the USDA has governance and compliance mechanisms in place to oversee AI activities across the department. These mechanisms include alignment with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance, rigorous risk management practices, comprehensive documentation requirements, and ongoing monitoring of AI systems as applicable. The strategy emphasizes that human judgment, accountability, and oversight remain essential components of all USDA activities involving AI, reinforcing that AI is intended to support and enhance, not replace, human decision-making and operational effectiveness. The Office of the Chief Information Officer, in coordination with departmental leadership and program offices, plays a central role in overseeing these AI activities, ensuring that the department's approach to AI is consistent with federal policy and protects the public interest.

Penalties, Liability, and Appeals

While the USDA AI Strategy itself does not explicitly detail specific penalties, liability provisions, or appeal processes, it strongly emphasizes adherence to federal policies, risk management, and accountability, implying that non-compliance would fall under broader federal regulations and existing legal frameworks. The strategy underscores the importance of adopting and adapting AI policies and risk-based frameworks that protect human rights, health, and safety, and mitigate risks through transparency, accountability, and inclusivity. This commitment to responsible AI use inherently suggests that failures to uphold these principles could lead to consequences as defined by established federal laws and departmental policies governing data privacy, ethical conduct, and operational standards.

Reports from watchdog organizations have highlighted that the Agriculture Department, while using AI, has not always fully implemented all required cybersecurity and governance controls to manage risks effectively. These findings indicate that federal standards and requirements for AI systems are in place, and a lack of strong governance could leave the agency susceptible to data breaches or reputational harm. Therefore, any instances of improper use, failure to mitigate risks, or non-compliance with federal and departmental policies related to AI would likely be addressed through existing federal accountability mechanisms, administrative actions, and potentially legal recourse depending on the nature and severity of the transgression. The strategy's focus on risk-based evaluation frameworks and human oversight serves as a preventative measure, but the underlying legal and regulatory environment would dictate the response to any breaches of responsible AI deployment.

Relationship to Other Instruments

The USDA AI Strategy is deeply integrated and aligned with a broader ecosystem of federal policies and executive directives concerning artificial intelligence. It is explicitly guided by President Biden's leadership and the Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. This foundational alignment ensures that the USDA's approach to AI is consistent with the overarching national strategy for AI governance and innovation, emphasizing principles such as transparency, ethics, and accountability that are central to the federal mandate.

Furthermore, the strategy aligns with applicable federal laws, regulations, and guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), particularly OMB Memo M-25-21, titled “Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust.” This OMB memorandum requires agencies to submit and publicly post a plan to achieve consistency with its directives, or a determination that AI is not used. The USDA has developed a compliance plan for OMB M-25-21, highlighting its efforts in strengthening governance, advancing responsible innovation, and managing AI-associated risks in line with federal mandates. The strategy also builds on previous federal guidance, such as Executive Order 13960, which focused on removing barriers to American leadership in Artificial Intelligence. This interconnectedness ensures that the USDA's AI initiatives are not isolated but are part of a coordinated, government-wide effort to harness AI responsibly and effectively.

International Alignment

The USDA AI Strategy primarily focuses on advancing American agriculture and serving domestic stakeholders, including farmers, ranchers, producers, and rural communities within the United States. The document's stated mission is to enhance the health, safety, and prosperity of American agriculture through the integration of artificial intelligence. Its governance framework, workforce development initiatives, and infrastructure objectives are tailored to meet the specific needs and regulatory landscape of the U.S. federal government and the agricultural sector.

While the strategy emphasizes internal departmental coordination and alignment with federal policies such as President Biden's Executive Order on AI and OMB guidance, it does not explicitly detail provisions or objectives related to international alignment or cross-border cooperation on AI in agriculture. The focus remains on strengthening domestic capabilities and ensuring responsible AI use within the U.S. context. However, as AI technologies and agricultural practices become increasingly globalized, the principles of transparency, ethics, and accountability embedded in the USDA's strategy may inherently align with broader international discussions and best practices in responsible AI development and deployment, particularly in areas such as data privacy and risk management. Any international coordination would likely occur within the framework of existing USDA international engagement efforts or broader U.S. government foreign policy on technology and agriculture.

Implementation Timeline

Compliance Checklist

Sources and References