Dan Chenok

Governments worldwide are exploring how artificial intelligence (AI) can transform public service delivery. But with great potential comes great responsibility. How can agencies harness AI to improve performance measurement evaluation while enhancing transparency and public trust?

The IBM Center for The Business of Government, in collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Social Work, recently convened a roundtable discussion, “The Ethical and Transformative use of Artificial Intelligence in Child Welfare.” The event included public sector leaders, technologists, and academic experts from Alaska, Arizona, California, Connecticut, DC, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Jersey, Texas, West Virginia, Wisconsin -- and Switzerland!

Through these and all Center reports, we seek to advance practical research that benefits public sector leaders and managers.

We expect the following reports to be published starting in late 2026.  Short summaries of each report follow:

Enhancing Career Path Permeability and Flexibility in the U.S. Federal Workforce by Loren Schulman, Federation of American Scientists

In an era marked by increasingly frequent and complex disasters—from fires and floods to infrastructure failures and humanitarian emergencies—governments around the world grapple with the limitations of traditional, centralized response models.

State governments across the country have made recent and significant progress in expanding artificial intelligence (AI) applications, specifically accelerating experimentation with generative AI (GenAI).  State government exploration of GenAI points to opportunities for streamlining operations, enhancing service delivery, and supporting policy innovation—while maintaining human judgment, transparency, and accountability.

A series of posts from the former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, Al Shaffer, looks at pathways to drive innovation and modernization for national defense.

In a forthcoming report, AI in State Government: Balancing Innovation, Efficiency, and Risk, authors Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene provide a timely and comprehensive examination of how AI is being integrated into state operations. The report highlights both the promise and the challenges of adopting these technologies, emphasizing the need to preserve transparency, accountability, and human judgment in the process. 

The conversation delved into how agencies can establish effective C-SCRM programs, the emerging threats they need to tackle, the role of automation, and the standards or KPIs that can help assess progress and ensure high ROI.

An international convening of procurement leaders on driving acquisition as a strategic priority for governments in addressing national goals, hosted by OECD and preceded by a session on buying Generative AI.  A well-attended and highly engaged set of discussions with US government and industry leaders on new ideas at the annual National Contract Management World Congress.

Julia Carboni's new report, "Collaborative Public Engagement for Building Trust in Government," synthesizes valuable insights from Carboni's original blog post series, distilling them into a practical guide. Her report emphasizes the importance of community voices and local strengths in shaping public policy and achieving civic goals.