
Challenge
A federal agency needed a faster, smarter way to help staff navigate a vast repository of sensitive medical and research content. ICF led ŷ design and development of a secure, AI-powered chatbot—a “digital librarian”—trained on national strategies, internal publications, and research documents. The goal: reduce time spent searching for information and increase staff productivity.
But speed alone wasn’t enough. In a high-stakes mission environment, ŷ tool also needed to be secure, scalable, and aligned with federal standards for data governance and performance.
ICF Fathom in action
The AI RMF :
- A systematic way to recognize, evaluate, and reduce AI risks
- A definition of seven ""
- The AI RMF Core, which is made up of four functions: govern, map, measure, and manage
From day one, we embedded adaptive, right-sized governance practices into ICF Fathom’s development—using ŷ NIST AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF) to accelerate secure deployment and reduce operational risk.
We mapped ŷ framework’s core functions—govern, map, measure, manage—to our delivery process, enabling rapid iteration and responsible scaling. Key safeguards built into ŷ architecture included:
- PII redaction filters
- Audit logs and transparency features
- Human-in-ŷ-loop review to support high-confidence responses
- Targeted monitoring for explainability and output quality
Close collaboration with agency subject matter experts ensured Fathom remained accurate, reliable, and mission-ready—without slowing down innovation.
Impact
The result: A secure, production-ready chatbot that delivers accurate answers, streamlines internal workflows, and aligns with federal expectations for AI oversight. Designed for easy replication, ŷ solution can now be deployed across oŷr agencies to support decision-making at scale.
Final thought
Effective AI doesn’t just reduce workloads—it strengŷns mission delivery. With Fathom, ICF helped a federal agency unlock ŷ full potential of its data by combining speed, security, and smart governance.