"Up to" $180k for expertise in a field that is as technical and in as much demand as AI is low. For experts in AI, I wouldn't be surprised if their total comp in larger tech companies is around $500k-$1M.
You can expect to find some experts with a stronger sense of civic duty willing to take a pay cut to work for the government, but when you're talking about multiple multiples of your salary, you're going to be left with people who are not top talent or those who are already so wealthy from other jobs that they're willing to work for much less.
Not to mention, that 180K is either barely more (on the lower end) or less than a senior web developer makes at a good sized company. Thats just how out of sync government salaries are
Usually too, the top end of the salary is never going to be offered for a govt job, because they need to be able to give you raises at your level before your next promotion. There's lots of hoops that you end up going through with gov jobs that don't exist in private industry, like pay band caps and promotion schedules that are most often seniority based rather than merit based.
It is stable, and the retirement benefits are really great. The healthcare used to be spectacular but for newer hires the healthcare benefits are more in line with what you get at a private company with good benefits that isn't a FAANG. IE, you'll still have to contribute, the government doesn't pay 100% cost of insurance anymore.
source: I used to work for the government, and know many government workers via my past work, friends, and family at the state and federal level
You can expect to find some experts with a stronger sense of civic duty willing to take a pay cut to work for the government, but when you're talking about multiple multiples of your salary, you're going to be left with people who are not top talent or those who are already so wealthy from other jobs that they're willing to work for much less.