Beth Simone Noveck

Professor & Author, Reboot Democracy in the Age of AI

Beth Simone Noveck is a professor at Northeastern University, where she directs The Governance Lab and the Burnes Center for Social Change. She previously served as Deputy Chief Technology Officer in the White House and as New Jersey’s Chief AI Strategist. Her work focuses on designing and governing artificial intelligence in ways that strengthen democratic institutions, improve public services, and expand participation. Through initiatives such as InnovateUS and AI for Impact, she works directly with governments to build AI products with communities. She is the author of Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy (Yale University Press, 2026).

Complete Bio

Read original essays from Beth and other global thought leaders, and get news on democratic AI.

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Read Beth's new book Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy

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Current Projects

Beth's work focuses on building practical models for governing and deploying democratic AI in the public interest.

Her current projects integrate public sector training, product development, civic education, and writing to strengthen democratic institutions in the AI era.

INNOVATEUS

InnovateUS provides no-cost, live and self-paced training in data, digital, innovation, and AI skills for public professionals. Working with government leaders, it designs and delivers skill-based learning that strengthens institutional capacity. In Spring 2026, Beth is moderating the InnovateUS workshop series on Practical Strategies for Buying and Building Public AI

Observatory of Public Sector AI

The Observatory draws on anonymized data from more than 150,000 public servants nationwide. By analyzing how public employees learn, use, and adapt AI at work, the Observatory aims to identify which investments in skills and training strengthen government capacity, improve services, and deliver better outcomes for residents.

AI for Impact

AI for Impact develops and deploys AI tools for government agencies and civic organizations. Each product addresses a specific operational challenge, from accessing institutional knowledge and improving benefits access to streamlining procurement and public communication. Built in partnership with public institutions, these tools model community-centered AI development. AI for Impact Fellows receive training in curricula Beth has developed, including Public Entrepreneurship and Solving Public Problems.

Civic AI: Powerful Tools for Community Action

This course teaches families and community members how to use generative AI to navigate civic needs—such as benefits, government forms, and rights—and to organize collectively to address community challenges. Participants gain practical AI literacy and the skills to evaluate, design, and advocate for tools that serve their communities.

Designing Democratic Engagement for the AI Era

Designed for public professionals globally, this course equips institutions with practical, design-focused methods for consultation, deliberation, and co-creation. The focus is on helping governments listen more effectively and incorporate public input in ways that improve legitimacy and decision-making.

Writing on Democratic AI

Through the Reboot blog, Beth examines how institutions can move beyond reactive regulation toward proactive design, governance, and deployment of AI in the public interest. Reboot features original essays from global thought leaders and news on democratic AI

About Beth

Beth Simone Noveck is a professor at Northeastern University and directs The Governance Lab and the Burnes Center for Social Change. A lawyer and political theorist by training, her work focuses on institutional innovation, democratic governance, and the responsible design and deployment of artificial intelligence in the public sector.

Noveck previously served as Deputy Chief Technology Officer in the White House under President Barack Obama, where she led the Open Government Initiative. In that role, she helped design policies and platforms—including data.gov and challenge.gov—that increased transparency, participation, and collaboration in government.

She has since served as a senior advisor on open government and digital transformation to leaders in the United States and internationally, including work with the 10 Downing Street and German Chancellor Merkel’s Digital Council. In New Jersey, she served as Chief Innovation Officer and later as the state’s first Chief AI Strategist, where she led efforts to apply emerging technologies to improve service delivery and public problem-solving.

Through The Governance Lab and related initiatives such as InnovateUS and AI for Impact, Noveck works directly with public servants to build AI systems and governance frameworks that strengthen democratic institutions. Her work emphasizes practical implementation: procurement reform, participatory design, auditability, institutional capacity, and evidence-based policymaking.

Earlier in her career, Noveck pioneered online civic engagement and collaborative governance platforms, including Unchat and Peer-to-Patent, which connected experts with policymakers to improve public decision-making.

She is the author of multiple books on governance and innovation, including Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy (Yale University Press, 2026) and Solving Public Problems (Yale University Press, 2021), which was named a Best Book of the Year by Stanford Social Innovation Review.

Her work has been recognized internationally, and she has been named among the world’s leading thinkers on government innovation and technology policy. You can read more at rebootdemocracy.ai.