USDA · USDA-142 · record R1440

Infosec Chatbot

Department of Agriculture · Natural Resources and Environment

Overview

Development stage: DeployedSource: c) Deployed – The use case is being actively authorized or utilized to support the functions or mission of an agency.
High-impact designation: Not high-impactSource: c) Not high-impact
Impact justification: Not reported
Start date: 2025-04-09 (day precision)Source: 4/9/2025
Withheld from public reporting: Not reported

Mission

Topic area: Cybersecurity
Operational functions: Chatbot or virtual assistant, Search and knowledge retrieval Derived by keyword rules; see methodology

Problem the AI is intended to solve

Information Security AI is a Chatbot that uses generative artificial intelligence (AI) to support users by responding to questions on information security.

Expected benefits

Decreases the time required to retrieve information from various National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) security publications.

System outputs

Provides text outputs through retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) solution that uses data from National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) guidelines.

Technology

AI classification: Generative AISource: Generative AI: AI that generates new or synthetic content (e.g., images, videos, audio, text, code).
System name(s): Advanced platform for Technical Learning and Analytics in the Sciences (ATLAS)
Custom-developed code: Yes
Public source code: Not reported

Sourcing

How it was built: Contract and in-houseSource: c) Developed with both contracting and in-house resources
Vendor (as reported): Google
Vendors (standardized): Google

A vendor is the supplier named by the agency. It does not identify the underlying model or AI technology.

Data and privacy

Involves PII: No
Privacy Impact Assessment: Not reported
Authorization to Operate: Yes
Demographic features: k) None of the above
Training and evaluation data: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) documentation for Authority to Operate (ATO)-related security assessments and security publications.
Federal Data Catalog: Not reported

Governance

0 of 8 minimum-practice questions answered. A blank answer means the agency reported nothing; it does not mean the practice is absent.

Pre-deployment testingNo answer reported

AI impact assessmentNo answer reported

Independent reviewNo answer reported

Ongoing monitoringNo answer reported

Operator trainingNo answer reported

Fail-safeNo answer reported

Appeal processNo answer reported

User and public consultationNo answer reported

Potential impacts and how they were identified

Not reported