It’s 2025. Everyone’s buzzing about AI, especially when it comes to public safety or transportation in the public sector.
It’s 2025. Everyone’s buzzing about AI, especially when it comes to public safety or transportation in the public sector. But here’s the thing: governments are stuck chasing vertical applications, when they should be looking at AI the way the private sector does - across the board, woven into every task. AI shouldn’t just be for crime-predicting tools or autonomous vehicles. It should be your silent partner in daily government workflows - scheduling, note-taking, content creation, research - the unsexy stuff that changes everything.
The real question is: how do governments integrate AI horizontally? The private sector nailed this by embedding AI in routine processes—companies use it not just for moonshots, but to help employees send emails, draft reports, analyze data, and more. Public agencies should do the same. Imagine AI handling the hours-long grind of administrative tasks so civil servants can focus on strategic work. Picture AI streamlining grant applications or digesting policy papers into digestible insights, letting human effort shine where it counts most.
Vertical Temptations, Horizontal Transformations
There’s an undeniable allure in the futuristic, vertical use of AI - predicting crime, managing disasters, or even driving city buses autonomously. But that’s not where the revolution begins. Governments need to plant AI at the ground level first. The real transformation starts when AI takes on those time-draining tasks like managing schedules or drafting reports. It’s the work we often overlook, but when it’s optimized, everything changes.
Look at how private companies use tools like ChatGPT - employees are drafting emails and creating reports with AI’s help, making them faster, sharper, and more efficient. That’s the kind of innovation governments should be chasing. Imagine the state bureaucrat who no longer has to sift through endless reports or the city planner who can focus on big-picture strategy while AI takes care of the grunt work.
Building AI Literacy: The Foundation of Success
Let’s be honest: most people working in government weren’t raised with AI as their go-to assistant. That’s where the challenge lies - it’s not just about using AI, it’s about using it well. And that’s where AI literacy comes into play. Workers need to understand how to speak AI’s language, asking the right questions to get the right results. This isn’t some far-off dream; it’s happening now. In New Jersey, for example, public employees are already helping shape how AI gets rolled out.
In short, government employees need to be trained on AI, not just to get answers, but to ensure those answers are accurate, ethical, and actionable. Private companies have figured this out, investing heavily in AI training. The public sector must follow suit.
Governance and Security: The Trust Factor
But with great AI comes great responsibility. Governments deal with sensitive data, and if AI mishandles that data, the trust in public institutions could crumble. The solution? A rock-solid governance framework. We’re talking data security, ethics, and compliance from day one. Some states, like Oklahoma, are already leading the charge with AI education and governance frameworks. Others will need to catch up fast.
The truth is, AI isn’t just about getting results. It’s about getting them safely, ethically, and transparently. States like Oklahoma are teaching foundational AI skills to ensure that AI is used responsibly, while state CIOs are laser-focused on privacy and ethics. Without that, AI’s potential can never be fully realized.
Start Small, Think Big
Governments don’t need to leap into AI’s most ambitious use cases right away. Start small - let AI be the assistant every public servant needs, streamlining daily operations. Once it’s deeply integrated, vertical applications like predictive policing or autonomous transportation will be far more achievable.
The real revolution in AI won’t come from headline-grabbing projects but from transforming the day-to-day. Once that foundation is in place, the possibilities are endless.
