# Federal Agencies Target Mission-Worker AI Fluency

At the Workforce Reimagined Exchange 2026, Pluralsight public sector solutions practice lead Tony Holmes argued that federal agencies should build AI capability among employees closest to mission work, rather than relying only on technically enthusiastic pilot participants. For procurement professionals and contractors, the discussion points to potential demand for role-aware AI training, assessments of frontline workflows, and governance and validation practices. The signal identifies no specific solicitation, award, budget, or procurement contact.

- Contractors may find opportunities to offer AI training tailored to employees’ roles and mission workflows, rather than general-purpose instruction.
- Agencies evaluating AI adoption may benefit from pairing training with frontline workflow assessment and practices for governing and validating AI use.
- Holmes framed broader adoption as requiring engagement from a much wider employee base: “a pilot needs 10 believers, but scale needs 10,000 competent skeptics that are happy to engage with the tools and see if they can do something.”

**Jurisdictions:** federal
**Industries:** Information Technology
**Topics:** Artificial Intelligence
**Published:** September 14, 2026

### Vendors
- Pluralsight ()

### Key Quotes
> a pilot needs 10 believers, but scale needs 10,000 competent skeptics that are happy to engage with the tools and see if they can do something.
> — Tony Holmes, practice lead for public sector solutions at Pluralsight

### Sources
- [
        Workforce Reimagined Exchange 2026: Pluralsight’s Tony Holmes on AI fluency must start with employees closest to the critical work - Federal News Network](https://federalnewsnetwork.com/workforce/2026/09/workforce-reimagined-exchange-2026-pluralsights-tony-holmes-on-ai-fluency-must-start-with-employees-closest-to-the-critical-work) - Federal News Network