Spy agency officials say job loss anxiety, moving fast \u2018safely\u2019 among top challenges in AI workforce overhaul | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"While tech leaders think about how to strategically deploy AI tools to support human intelligence needs, rank and filers express concerns about their livelihoods.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/national-geospatial-intelligence-ai-agency-leaders-say-job-loss-safety-top-concerns\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Spy agency officials say job loss anxiety, moving fast \u2018safely\u2019 among top challenges in AI workforce overhaul\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While tech leaders think about how to strategically deploy AI tools to support human intelligence needs, rank and filers express concerns about their livelihoods.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" 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class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"26.315492957746\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"35.576923076923\">\n<p> While tech leaders think about how to strategically deploy AI tools to support human intelligence needs, rank and filers express concerns about their livelihoods. <\/p>\n<p>  <br \/>\n<audio id=\"audio-player\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-tts-cdn.api.scpnewsgrp.com\/cyberscoop\/88791\/english.openai.mp3\"><\/audio> <\/p>\n<div readability=\"11\">\n<div>\n<p>Listen to this article<\/p>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p>0:00<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>  <\/p>\n<p> <span id=\"tts-tooltip\">Learn more.<\/span> <span> This feature uses an automated voice, which may result in occasional errors in pronunciation, tone, or sentiment. <\/span> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"426\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul.jpg?resize=640%2C426&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul-2.jpg 6000w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul-2.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul-2.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul-2.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul-2.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul-2.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul-2.jpg?resize=506,337 506w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul-2.jpg?resize=1013,675 1013w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul-2.jpg?resize=1265,843 1265w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1013px) 100vw, 1013px\"><figcaption> Jay Harless, director of human development and Sasha Muth, deputy director of human development at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency speak at the Workday Federal Forum presented by Scoop News Group. (Image Source: Scoop News Group) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"32.017438452521\"><body readability=\"65.975097829954\"><\/p>\n<p>Like many organizations, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency is moving to integrate AI tools into their business operations. <\/p>\n<p>Jay Harless, director of human development at NGA, said the agency is trying to strike a balance: move fast enough to keep pace in what U.S. national security officials increasingly view as an AI arms race with adversarial countries like Russia, China, but not so fast that it disrupts proven intelligence-gathering methods.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of our primary drivers is that our adversaries were investing heavily, and so there is the pressure to keep ahead of and do that safely,\u201d Harless said Tuesday at the <a href=\"https:\/\/workdayfederalforum.upgather.com\/#about\">Workday Federal Forum<\/a>, presented by Scoop News Group. \u201cWe also realize that some of our adversaries may not have the same legal and ethical boundaries that us and our partners all need.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Harless said the agency and others in the intelligence community are working to build systems with agentic AI that operates that can accelerate decision making \u201cwithin secure boundaries.\u201d That means building new IT infrastructure, validation protocols, monitoring for bias or rogue behavior, and putting accountability mechanisms in place.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re moving fast, and moving fast safely by distinguishing what should be automated, what should be augmented and what should be kept purely human, because there are some things that will always be [human-operated],\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>A key piece is figuring out exactly how AI should fit into the work. Sasha Muth, NGA\u2019s deputy director of human development, said the agency envisions a three-to-five-year effort to transform its workforce and IT infrastructure for the AI age. This year will be spent largely putting \u201cstructural things in place\u201d for when and how analysts use AI, and reassessing what qualifications the agency should require for entry-level jobs. <\/p>\n<p>But that effort is also causing tensions within the workforce, and Muth acknowledged that part of the challenge is convincing rank-and-file employees that the technology is going to help them \u2013 not replace them. The agency hired its <a href=\"https:\/\/defensescoop.com\/2024\/10\/29\/nga-chief-ai-officer-caio-mark-munsell\/\">first Chief AI Officer<\/a> in 2024, and its upcoming three-year strategic plan will focus on change management, professional development and updating employees\u2019 job skills. <\/p>\n<p>Muth said they are focused on evolving their human capital needs because one of her biggest fears is that over that five-year transition \u201cwe\u2018re going to lose a lot of our expertise\u201d by automating functions and not doing enough to modernize job requirements.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe do see it as a big transformation, not only for just utilizing the technology, but moving our workforce along with us, having them excited about the changes and not fearful, because there\u2019s a lot of fear\u2026that their job is going away, that they won\u2019t have a job,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.28\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"13\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Derek B. Johnson\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Derek B. Johnson<\/h4>\n<p> Derek B. Johnson is a reporter at CyberScoop, where his beat includes cybersecurity, elections and the federal government. Prior to that, he has provided award-winning coverage of cybersecurity news across the public and private sectors for various publications since 2017. Derek has a bachelor\u2019s degree in print journalism from Hofstra University in New York and a master\u2019s degree in public policy from George Mason University in Virginia. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> 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{"id":8591,"date":"2026-04-28T16:43:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T21:43:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=88791"},"modified":"2026-04-28T16:43:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-28T21:43:20","slug":"spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2026\/04\/28\/spy-agency-officials-say-job-loss-anxiety-moving-fast-safely-among-top-challenges-in-ai-workforce-overhaul\/","title":{"rendered":"Spy agency officials say job loss anxiety, moving fast \u2018safely\u2019 among top challenges in AI workforce overhaul"},"content":{"rendered":"