How Federal Agencies Can Accelerate the Safe and Compliant Adoption of AI

The federal government is recognizing the transformative potential of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools. The release of OMB Memoranda M-25-21 and M-25-22 in April 2025 outlines critical steps for agencies to accelerate the adoption of AI, enhance governance, and ensure responsible usage. However, like many federal directives, the "how" often remains ambiguous. This article explores how the Island Enterprise Browser can empower agencies to “Say Yes,” moving swiftly and securely toward GenAI integration.

M-25-21: Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust

Purpose: To empower federal agencies to adopt artificial intelligence (AI) technologies that enhance public services while safeguarding civil rights, civil liberties, and privacy.​

With AI innovation being prioritized, it's essential for federal agencies to establish strong governance frameworks. Island Enterprise Browser's governance capabilities enable agencies to maintain control over AI adoption, ensuring compliance with M-25-21 directives and paving the way for safe and scalable implementation.

Key Directives:

• Promote Innovation: Agencies are encouraged to remove bureaucratic barriers and prioritize the use of American-developed AI solutions to improve government efficiency and mission effectiveness.
  
  The Island Enterprise Browser allows departments and agencies to utilize an American startup’s technology to add productivity gains, including an AI Assistant that enables department and agency workers to connect safely to approved GenAI services while ensuring sensitive data isn’t improperly captured and used to train the model.  

• Establish AI Leadership: Agencies must appoint Chief AI Officers to lead AI initiatives, ensuring alignment with agency goals and overseeing AI governance.
  
  The Island Enterprise Browser is the only browser specifically designed to support department and agency mission, allowing new Chief AI Officers to enable faster rollouts of GenAI services while ensuring citizen data remains safe.

• Enhance Governance: Agencies should implement clear AI policies, provide training to staff, and ensure accountability in AI deployment, particularly in high-stakes decision-making scenarios.​
  
  The Island Enterprise Browser can allow departments and agencies to “crawl, walk, run” by enabling small pilot groups of users to perform GenAI tasks with detailed, automated oversight including what-if analysis before allowing wider adoption by employees.  User actions performed in GenAI services can be logged in accordance with OMB M-21-31, right down to the keystroke, to ensure the proper governance.

• Build Public Trust: Transparency in AI usage is essential. Agencies are directed to develop public AI strategies that outline AI adoption plans and engage with the public to build trust.
  
  The Island Enterprise Browser gives departments and agencies full control over what GenAI services are permitted by users, along with corresponding data protection to ensure citizen data isn’t improperly used or submitted to an AI model. Island Lighthouse, a centralized hub that provides practical insights for optimizing every aspect of your workspace, helps agency administrators understand which services are the most heavily used, by which users, and for what purpose. Administrators will also see which blocked services users attempt to access against agency policy.  

• Maximize Existing Investments: Agencies should leverage existing data, models, and resources to avoid duplicative spending and accelerate AI deployment.​
  
  The Island Enterprise Browser integrates seamlessly with existing agency systems — identity management, endpoint security, data encryption, and more — helping agencies safely adopt GenAI technologies without disrupting their current infrastructure.  

• Foster Talent Development: Investing in AI and AI-enabling talent is crucial for scaling and governing AI to improve mission outcomes.​
  
  The Island Enterprise Browser is based on the Chromium open-source platform, which is the foundation for many of the major consumer browsers, such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge. Together, more than 75% of browser usage happens on a Chromium-based platform. Switching to Island is an easy and familiar experience and all of their existing bookmarks, shortcuts, and settings can be automatically imported. Every agency employee already knows how to use a browser. Because of this, Island users do not need additional training; they can just login and get to work. 
  
  Administrators can then deploy new GenAI tools to users' bookmarks and homepages, making adopting new services a breeze. 

M-25-22: Driving Efficient Acquisition of Artificial Intelligence in Government

Purpose: To streamline the procurement of AI technologies, ensuring cost-effectiveness, performance tracking, and responsible acquisition practices.​

Departments and agencies need to procure more quickly, but also need to ensure that GenAI services are being utilized fully, or if a service is under-utilized, right-size their acquisition. The ability to centralize usage tracking and ensure it’s in line with acquisition strategy will ensure accountability. The Island Enterprise Browser allows agencies to know exactly which GenAI services are being used, how much, and how often.  

The new OMB memoranda emphasize the importance of adopting AI technology at scale, but agencies face challenges in balancing speed, security, and governance. The Island Enterprise Browser was built to directly address these challenges, enabling federal agencies to adopt AI quickly, safely, and in compliance with policy directives.

Key Directives:

• Promote a Competitive AI Marketplace: Agencies are encouraged to source AI solutions from a diverse range of vendors to avoid dependency on a single supplier and ensure access to state-of-the-art capabilities.​
  
  The Island Enterprise Browser enables competitive access. One venture capital fund, Sequoia, has a collection of futuristic GenAI companies called “The AI 50.” Every one of these tools is consumed via a browser. Island gives agencies a much faster way to consume a wider breadth of GenAI services while protecting citizen data and the agency’s users.

• Ensure AI Systems Deliver Consistent Results: Agencies must track AI performance to safeguard taxpayer dollars and maintain public trust.​
  
  The Island Enterprise Browser allows agencies to determine at any given moment and over time which GenAI services are being consumed the most, the least, or not at all.  Further, agency administrators will know where the greatest risk of citizen data exposure is occurring to ensure proper training and protection.  

• Foster Cross-Functional Collaboration: Engage officials from various domains, including acquisition, cybersecurity, privacy, and civil liberties, to address challenges in AI procurement.​
  
  Island Enterprise Browser gives agencies total control over their data, ensuring least privilege during collaboration. In shared reports, data can be automatically redacted based on user identity, role, device type (government-furnished equipment or personal device), or whether they are a contractor or employee or a U.S. citizen or foreign national. This ensures data is only made available to people who should have access to it.

• Maximize Use of U.S.-Produced AI: Agencies should prioritize American-made AI products and services to support domestic innovation and economic growth.​
  
  Island Enterprise Browser is an American startup headquartered in Dallas, TX.  

• Protect Privacy and Data Rights: Agencies must comply with privacy policies and processes, ensuring proper use of government data within AI systems while protecting contractors’ intellectual property rights.​
  
  Island Enterprise Browser allows agencies to have total control over what data is used in queries and submissions to GenAI platforms, allowing both government-owned models as well as contractor-owned models while appropriately allowing access to each, and logging each action down to the keystroke. 

• Ensure Proper Use of Government Data: Guidelines should ensure that government information is only collected and retained by a vendor when reasonably necessary to serve the intended purposes of the contract.​ 
  
  Island Enterprise Browser is delivered via a multi-tenancy management system, where Island DevSecOps has the ability to make a one-way push of new functions, features, and fixes to government tenants – but has no data access to government tenants whatsoever. All logging and data is keyed specifically to the government agency and is never seen by Island.  

The adoption of generative AI in the federal government is underway, and Island Enterprise Browser is here to help agencies “Say Yes” safely and efficiently. To learn more about how we can support your agency's AI strategy, contact us for a demo or consultation today.