Recurring Series
What happens when governments rely on systems that sound right instead of being right? Drawing on OpenFisca’s spread from France to governments across Europe, Africa, and Oceania, Beth Simone Noveck’s interview with Matti Schneider makes the case for public infrastructure that computes the law, as well as the risks of sidelining it as generative AI scales globally.
AI governance is expanding fast, but not evenly. A new analysis from MIT and Georgetown’s CSET maps over 1,000 governance documents to show that while policies are proliferating, they cluster around familiar risks and sectors, leaving key gaps across socioeconomic impacts, upstream design, and everyday domains. The result, as relayed by research member Yan Zhu, is a more precise picture of what AI governance actually covers, what it still overlooks, and where policymakers should focus in the future.
Across contexts like India, where author Anirudh Dinesh’s family lives, AI chatbots such as xAI’s Grok are increasingly used not to inform but to generate arguments that reinforce existing political views, creating “generative echo chambers.” Unlike passive social media exposure, users actively prompt AI to validate positions, often producing confident but inaccurate claims that go unchecked. While some research suggests AI can moderate views in neutral dialogue, real-world use skews toward advocacy, compounded by low verification and high trust in outputs. The result is that AI may not just reflect polarization, but actively deepen it, depending on how these systems are designed and used.
More than $1 trillion in federal grants flows to communities each year, but complexity keeps much of it out of reach. This piece by Beth Simone Noveck, published by Fast Company, explores how AI can either deepen that gap or help close it. The solution is GrantWell, a community-centered tool designed with local governments to make funding accessible and public systems work as intended. Launched in Massachusetts and expanding to additional states, it shows how AI can help communities claim the resources already set aside for them.
Developed by the International Training Centre of the International Labour Organization with and for employer organizations, ReguLens responds to a growing policy bottleneck. The rapid surge in complex, overlapping regulations is outpacing institutional capacity. Built through iterative co-creation with users across regions, the tool helps organizations analyze proposals, identify impacts, and engage earlier in policy debates.
Following the success of a 1,200-person pilot across eight state agencies, New York is scaling InnovateUS' AI training initiative to more than 100,000 state employees, the largest program of its kind in the nation. Read the NYS press release detailing the expansion, which focuses on helping public servants build the skills and knowledge to responsibly use emerging technologies for the public good.
This piece by John Wihbey and Jill Abramson distills lessons from the InnovateUS Amplify workshop series, where public-sector communicators grappled with how AI is reshaping their work amid declining public trust. Across sessions, we learn that AI can accelerate research, synthesis, and storytelling, but it cannot replace judgment, verification, or institutional values. As communicators adopt new tools, the opportunity lies in using AI to strengthen transparency, credibility, and connection with the public, rather than erode them.
Millions of Americans miss out on health and food assistance benefits due to fragmented systems and complex enrollment processes. This piece explores how Link Health, in partnership with the AI for Impact program, is combining AI tools with human navigators to rethink how public benefits are delivered in healthcare settings. It argues that the next frontier is better evidence. States should fund research to compare enrollment approaches, portal design, and navigator support to determine which improve health outcomes and guide smarter public investment.
AI agents are reshaping how systems operate across sectors. This piece argues that the imminent challenge to address is autonomy, including how agents act, interact, and scale in open environments. It outlines a three-part blueprint for governments to build trust infrastructure, prepare for multi-agent risks, and develop the institutional capacity needed to govern an increasingly agentic world.
The Healey-Driscoll Administration has launched GrantWell, a free AI-powered tool developed with Northeastern University’s Burnes Center for Social Change to help municipalities more easily access and apply for federal and state funding. GrantWell helps you summarize complex grant requirements, identify opportunities, and draft early-stage proposals, reducing administrative burden and expanding capacity to secure resources
Massachusetts municipalities are eligible for an estimated $17.5 billion in federal funding, but accessing it is often harder than securing it. In partnership with the Massachusetts Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office, the Burnes Center for Social Change is launching GrantWell, an AI-powered tool designed to reduce the friction that keeps many communities from applying. Anjith Prakash, lead engineer at GrantWell, explains how the tool helps users find opportunities, understand requirements, and move local needs into competitive applications, expanding access to funding.
In this post, Eileen Twiggs draws on lessons from the InnovateUS workshop "Effective Use of Social Media: Storytelling, Trust, and Institutional Brand" to explore how public servants can move beyond risk-averse messaging to tell more human, compelling stories. From finding the “true thing” in everyday work to using AI as a thoughtful teammate, these practical strategies show how to communicate more effectively in today’s fast-moving information environment and rebuild trust one story at a time.
Cities often treat nearby universities as occasional partners rather than strategic collaborators. But as artificial intelligence reshapes local economies and public services, that relationship may need to change. Drawing on a new policy brief, The AI Lab Next Door, Neil Kleiman argues that city–university “compacts” can transform transactional ties into intentional partnerships, helping communities harness the growing AI capacity already taking shape on college campuses.
InnovateUS and the Center for Civic Futures are launching a new series exploring how AI can help human services agencies reduce administrative burden and improve benefits delivery. Drawing on Robert Asaro-Angelo’s experience as Commissioner of New Jersey’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development, this post examines how agencies can use AI to help the public sector improve benefits delivery, reduce administrative burden, and better support both frontline staff and the people they serve.
In this conversation with Elana Banin, Lorelei Kelly argues that rebuilding democratic resilience requires redesigning the institutional infrastructure connecting citizens to Congress. Drawing on constitutional history and emerging technologies, she explores how deliberative technology and AI could help revive the First Amendment’s promises of assembly and petition for the digital age.
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