AI In Government: Saving Time While Protecting Public Trust

Key Takeaways:

• Start with a specific public service outcome, then determine whether AI is the right tool to achieve it.

• Build controls around how AI will be used, including data access, human review, and the actions the technology is authorized to take.

• Measure AI’s impact on staff effort, cost, quality, and resident service, and document the evidence behind decisions to continue, change, expand, or stop its use.

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An AI tool can draft a response in seconds. But for state and local governments, the real test is what happens next: Does the employee reviewing the AI-generated response spend less time on routine work? Does a resident receive an accurate, useful answer sooner? And does the resident have a clear way to reach a person if the AI response isn’t what they need?