Public agency leaders want tangible results from AI and machine learning (ML). The trouble is figuring out how to get beyond pilot projects and proofs of concept.
Mission alignment, or matching technologies to real-world priorities, can support progress beyond experimentation. A three-pronged approach focused on current challenges, promising AI benefits and proven technology best practices can move agencies toward AI alignment.
COMMON AI CHALLENGES
Lack of direction
The potential of AI solutions could pull organizations in many directions, and choosing where to start might feel like a gamble. “All too often, managers lead with how rather than why,” says Alan Shark, senior fellow with the Center for Digital Government (CDG) and former executive director of the Public Technology Institute. “They get bogged down in governance issues, losing sight of what they are really trying to accomplish.” Organizations should start by identifying repetitive tasks consume a lot of staff time. When staff see how AI streamlines operations and gives them more time to devote to urgent work, this will generate excitement about new use cases.
Technical limitations
Organizations also need a flexible strategy to support AI deployments. “We’ve got a lot of hardware out there that can’t handle AI,” says Daniel Gohl, HP’s chief technology and strategy officer for U.S. state and local government and education. “It’s not enough to deploy AI once and then expect it to last several years.” A profusion of new AI-enhanced central processing chipsets and graphics processing units will allow IT teams to implement servers, workstations and laptops optimized for specific use cases. Gohl recommends defining user personas to make sure staff have the best gear for their unique needs.
Growing costs
AI technologies hosted in the cloud pose significant cost and security concerns. Popular apps that create content also generate expensive back-and-forth traffic with remote cloud services. As these apps become more pervasive, cloud costs may balloon. “The place for generation compute is on the network edge, not in the cloud,” says Gohl.
Cloud-hosted AI may cause network latency that degrades the performance of emerging AI apps for law enforcement, utilities management and others using real-time data streams. Some agencies will require AI apps to remain on-premises to protect sensitive data. Addressing these challenges calls for a strategic, outcomes-driven approach to AI that aligns technology investments with mission priorities while balancing performance, cost and security.
MISSION-CENTERED AI OPPORTUNITIES
Hardware designed specifically for AI can help agencies move workloads to the network edge to save on cloud costs and optimize performance. New workstations and laptops with neural processing units can run more AI workloads locally, improving the user experience and helping manage security risks.
Optimizing workflows
Fast-impact AI use cases streamline operations, making agency staff more productive and simplifying interactions with the public. Data-entry forms are prime candidates for AI automation, for example. AI can also drive greater efficiency for general counsel offices and risk management teams. Staff can rely on AI to pull relevant information they need from different documents and emails, cutting back on the time spent manually sifting through spreadsheets and meeting notes. “Any standard operating procedure manual in an organization should be moved to an AI interface as soon as possible,” Gohl says. AI chatbots trained on these manuals allow staff to spend more time solving problems AI can’t manage.
Enhancing collaboration
AI-based solutions encourage more inclusive and consistent collaboration experiences. Translation narrows communication gaps, while algorithms enhance lighting and sound. AI systems can share learning models among multiple groups, ensuring more people have access to AI enhancements. “Remote and hybrid work exposed long-standing inequities in who speaks, who is heard and who influences outcomes,” says Sean McSpaden, a CDG senior and longtime IT executive in Oregon. Having meetings automatically recorded and transcribed by AI makes it easier for attendees to follow up with action items, reference deadlines and make to-do lists.
BEST PRACTICES FOR AI ALIGNMENT
Generate excitement. Pick small projects that deliver fast, easy-to-quantify value and show staff how tools can help them.
Encourage innovation. “Public sector leaders should inspire a spirit of professional play with AI,” Gohl says. “That’s the only way people are going to get comfortable with its deployment and understand its limitations.”
Experiment. Make sure to have sound guardrails for experiments while encouraging staff to explore new ideas. Provide regular training opportunities and promote them across the agency.
Stay transparent. Scrutinize technology partners’ policies and governance, especially for preventing public data from training AI models. Governance should clearly define data storage, transmission and deletion processes. “Trust derives from transparency and accountability that residents can perceive, not merely from policy language,” Shark says. “Governments should clearly disclose when AI is used, what it can’t do, and how people can reach a human or appeal decisions.”
Keep humans in the loop: AI can’t and shouldn’t replace critical thinking. Organizations must make it clear how staff can utilize AI, what processes cannot change, what decisions must be made by a human and how operations are evolving.
CONCLUSION
For state and local governments, the true value of AI lies not in experimentation or novelty but in advancing core missions and strengthening public service.
When thoughtfully applied, AI streamlines routine work, improves collaboration and enhances access to information. With a mission-aligned, human-centered approach, governments can turn AI from industry buzz into a durable capability that improves outcomes today and adapts to the needs of tomorrow.
This piece was written and produced by the Government Technology Content Studio, with information and input from HP Inc and Intel Corporation.
Sponsored by HP Inc and Intel Corporation
HP Inc. is a technology company that believes one thoughtful idea has the power to change the world. Its product and service portfolio of personal systems, printers, and 3D printing solutions helps bring these ideas to life. www.hp.com/HPSolutions-StateandLocalGov
Intel Corporation is a company with the purpose to create world-changing technology that improves the life of every person on the planet.
www.intel.com
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