Featuring insights from Cassandra Madison, Executive Director of the Center for Civic Futures, as shared on the Scaling Laws podcast, “State Level AI Regulation”
(July 15, 2025)

With the rapid surge of AI, there's growing recognition across state and local government that they need to engage with this technology. While some leaders are eager to identify adoption pathways and onboard technical talent, there's significant variation in readiness and interest.

But getting to that point will require doing things differently. It calls for critical thinking, collaboration, and pragmatic strategies to ensure that the solutions pursued are applicable, have staying power, and are grounded in institutional readiness.

Creating space for ideation is essential. 

That kind of space isn’t always available in government settings where operations are traditionally siloed and risk-averse. This moment calls for new models of collaboration, both internally and externally. It’s not just about hiring people with AI credentials; it’s about preparing the culture, the infrastructure, and the internal teams to receive and retain them.

Furthermore, as Cassandra Madison, Executive Director of the Center for Civic Futures, points out, many technologists want to do meaningful work, but outdated hiring processes stand in the way.

Cultural readiness of an institution is a barrier. 

Are agencies prepared to onboard and support this kind of talent? Is there a shared language, aligned leadership, or flexibility in place to support technology deployment?

Beyond hiring, the success of AI adoption also depends on cross-functional collaboration. Many government agencies have data sets that live in silos. Standard practices or processes for data sharing and cross-system communication are often not in place, nor is there a recognized necessity to share information at all. This fosters a lack of visibility and transparency, which are critical for trust. 

All of this further impedes effective execution.

To integrate emerging technologies, departments must find ways to align through clarity and understanding of the value of each other’s work. That starts with trust, and trust is earned through the process. This is where procuring outside facilitation helps. A neutral third party can support departments in navigating interpersonal dynamics, surfacing gaps, and identifying opportunities for shared wins. 

There needs to be opportunities to meet collective milestones in the short term, even as long-term goals unfold. That might include projects that introduce new internal norms that support transparency. 

It is important that leaders also have empathy, recognizing that this is hard work.

It starts with the people who identify the problem, explore solutions, and implement change, working from a unified roadmap. Success requires aligning teams around shared goals, establishing clear communication channels, and building the organizational capacity to support both the human and technical elements of transformation. Only when these foundational pieces are in place can government agencies effectively harness AI to better serve their communities.