“Anticipate how life is going to look in 2050 and ask ourselves, what can we do today to be prepared?” said CIO Tawfik, speaking on a panel at the GovAI Coalition Summit last December.*
Tawfik was instrumental in forming the GovAI Coalition to develop policies and practices to both use — and corral — this quickly emerging technology. Tawfik was named CIO of the Silicon Valley city in 2022, following the promotion of Rob Lloyd, who was named deputy city manager, and who is now the chief technology officer in Seattle. Tawfik brought some 25 years of IT experience in both the government and private sectors.
Aside from being at the forefront on AI, Tawfik has said it’s important for government to lead and educate the public, shepherding them through what can at times be a dizzying technology landscape.
“We have to continue to engage the public, and educate and inform them,” he said during the closing panel at the GovAI Summit.
“Change has to happen through kind pressure. But it has to be continuous and relentless,” he added, conceding, “we’re not going to change the world overnight. We’re not going to educate people overnight. But we have to keep an open mind. And this is something we have to continue to work on, day after day.”
*Government Technology, together with the GovAI Coalition, hosted the GovAI Summit.
This story originally appeared in the Spring 2025 issue of Government Technology magazine. Click here to view the full digital edition online.
