5 Takeaways from AWS re:Invent 2025
IT leaders gathered in Las Vegas, Nevada, to discuss the latest in cloud, AI, cybersecurity and data management. Here’s a look at the latest innovations supporting government technology strategies as agencies adapt to a rapidly evolving tech landscape.
The IC needs to be data-centric to thrive.
Federal agencies are building the groundwork for AI adoption, applying machine learning to anticipate operational needs. They are also deploying cloud-scale data safeguards to strengthen resilience and maintain compliance, according to AWS’s Bryana Tucci. Leaders are learning to leverage AI and implement new technology for mission delivery, she added.
“We need to educate acquisition officials and leverage AI to help them do their jobs better. We don’t want them to be afraid of AI or concerned that AI is going to take their job away or remove them from their role,” Tucci said. “AI is going to help them deliver faster for the mission and the warfighter. AI is going to help them augment their existing capabilities.”
Autonomous AI speeds critical decisions at the edge.
Autonomous AI is becoming essential in edge environments where connectivity is denied, degraded, intermittent or limited, including disaster zones, space missions and military operations. David Malone, AWS principal solutions architect for IoT and Robotics, and Conor Cahill, AWS senior solutions architect for Aerospace and Satellite, explained that constraints like latency, bandwidth and energy are pushing AI from being a passive tool into a true decision-maker embedded directly in devices and sensors.
In disaster response, autonomous AI agents on drones or robots can immediately identify survivors and assess damage without relying on cloud connections, while in space exploration, rovers and satellites must act independently due to long communication delays, they said.
“In a disaster scenario, when communications are down, you can’t rely on the cloud. The agents need to be able to do their own asset triage and coordinate the search and rescue efforts immediately,” Malone cautioned.
CIOs are harnessing cloud to transform behavioral health services.
CIOs are using cloud technology to modernize behavioral health services by unifying infrastructure and enabling statewide data integration. A shared operating model standardizes platforms and networks across dozens of agencies while still allowing mission-specific flexibility, Virginia CIO Bob Osmond said.
The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) has built an enterprise data warehouse and master patient index to improve transparency and real-time tracking of care. Leaders say these cloud-native tools enhance compliance, streamline reporting and drive cultural change that improves outcomes for vulnerable populations.
“Everything in the public sector is done in silos. Everything is a funded project with no vision. No ability to look at, ‘How do I want to build components that I can then continue to build on as I go?’” DBHDS CIO Russell Accashian said.
Federal modernization relies on reliable data and easier procurement.
Government cybersecurity leaders are moving from a prevention stance to a mindset that assumes compromise. Agency leaders are rethinking modernization strategies to meet the demands of data-driven missions and increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Commvault’s Joshua Nickell said government organizations are employing unified architectures and simplified frameworks to support multi-cloud and edge deployments.
“We’re focused around model, control, protocol and open standard capabilities within our platform to allow agentic AI platform integration to also interact with Commvault Unity as a platform to trigger and validate resiliency workflows and promote autonomous recovery capabilities,” Nickell said.
AI modernization transforms patient communication.
The Medway NHS Foundation Trust in the U.K. has adopted cloud-based AI tools to modernize patient communication systems, easing pressure on both clinical and administrative staff. By automating routine queries like appointment checks and parking information, the trust reduced unanswered calls to just 20%, dramatically improving efficiency and patient satisfaction.
“When I say we have a long wait, we have a long wait,” Medway NHS Foundation Trust Divisional Director of Operations Nicola Cooper said. “On top of that, Medway, where I work, is an incredibly deprived area. … Our average reading age of our demographic is six, so incredibly challenged, and one of the things that we really wanted to understand is how we can improve how we communicate with our patients.”