---
id: "digest:80"
type: "Reboot Democracy weekly news digest (News That Caught Our Eye)"
title: "News That Caught Our Eye #80"
url: "https://rebootdemocracy.ai/newsthatcaughtoureye/80"
edition: "80"
date: "2025-10-16"
authors: ["Elana Banin and Dane Gambrell"]
source: "Reboot Democracy (rebootdemocracy.ai)"
licence: "none stated"
---

# News That Caught Our Eye #80

By Elana Banin and Dane Gambrell · 16 October 2025

New America’s Anne-Marie Slaughter says states are becoming the laboratories of democratic AI—building “public AI” that is open, trustworthy, and rooted in the public good. This week’s stories bring that vision to life. New York launches a hands-on AI training pilot for state employees; Spain embeds algorithms into procurement audits; and federal agencies release new compliance plans under the Trump administration. A new Reboot feature by Dane Gambrell explores how one civic technologist used AI and crowdsourcing to map every public space in New York City, showing how artificial and collective intelligence can work together to serve democracy.

## Events

*Coming up this week and next: *

- [Defining Problems with the Public,](https://innovate-us.org/defining-problems-with-the-public) October 16, 12:00 PM ET
- [Smart Data, Fair Cities: Evidence-Based Approaches to City Management](https://innovate-us.org/smart-data-fair-cities-evidence-based-approaches-to-city-management) October 16, 2:00 PM ET
- [By the People, For the People, With the People – Design for Government](https://innovate-us.org/by-the-people-for-the-people-with-the-people-design-for-government) October 22, 2:00 PM ET
- [Unlocking the Power of Body-Worn Camera Data with AI](https://innovate-us.org/unlocking-the-power-of-body-worn-camera-data-with-ai), Oct 27, 2:00 PM ET

Sign up [here](https://innovate-us.org/workshops). 

You're also invited to attend an upcoming partner event, "Foundations for the Digital Commons," sponsored by The Roux Institute at Northeastern University in Portland, ME, on October 30 - 31.

Register [here](https://events.humanitix.com/foundations-for-the-digital-commons)

## AI for Governance

### [New York Launches Hands-On AI Pilot for State Employees](https://www.govtech.com/artificial-intelligence/new-york-launches-hands-on-ai-pilot-for-state-employees)

GovTech · News Staff · 2025-10-09

> New York is launching a first-of-its-kind AI pilot to train 1,000 state employees in both the theory and practice of AI, combining ethical foundations with hands-on experimentation in the ITS AI Pro tool. Led by the Office of Information Technology Services in partnership with InnovateUS, the program reflects a growing national movement—echoed in San Francisco, New Jersey, and Indianapolis—to prepare public servants for responsible AI adoption. Governor Hochul described the pilot as a step toward “safe, responsible and thoughtful” AI use, backed by the $500M Empire AI initiative.

### [How Federal Agencies Say They’re Tackling AI Under Trump](https://fedscoop.com/how-federal-agencies-say-theyre-tackling-ai-under-trump/)

FedScoop · Madison Alder and Miranda Nazzaro · 2025-10-09

> New compliance plans from 22 U.S. federal agencies offer a window into how AI governance is unfolding under the Trump administration. While the 2025 reports show modest progress, most agencies still cite the same barriers as last year: poor data infrastructure, limited access to compute, and workforce capacity gaps. The release also marks the first use of the “high-impact AI” designation, but agencies vary widely in how they define, manage, and track risky applications. The U.S. General Services Administration has emerged as a central AI enabler, brokering deals with top labs and launching the USAi.gov sandbox.

### [Could Denver Harness AI to Renew Trust in Government?](https://www.denverpost.com/2025/10/06/denver-artificial-intelligence-city-services-mike-johnston/)

The Denver Post · Elliott Wenzler · 2025-10-06

> Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is betting on AI to boost public trust and streamline city services, from chatbots like “Sunny” to AI-powered permitting and law enforcement tools. At the city’s DenAI Summit, Johnston framed AI as a pathway to more human-centered governance, not job displacement. As Denver expands AI use amid budget cuts and layoffs, the city’s new Chief AI Officer Suma Nallapati insists human intelligence will remain central.

### [New America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter on Why States Are Leading the AI Era](https://rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/new-america-ceo-anne-marie-slaughter-reflects-on-the-national-gathering-for-state-ai-leaders)

Reboot Democracy Blog · Anne-Marie Slaughter · 2025-10-15

> Reflecting on this summer’s “National Gathering for State AI Leaders,” New America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter argues that states aren’t just adapting to AI but shaping what democratic AI governance can be. From “minimum viable” oversight models and co-governance to public-sector partnerships and workforce transformation, her 10 takeaways urge a long-term, trust-first approach to AI as civic infrastructure.

## Governing AI

### [Spain to Use AI for Transparency and Oversight in Public Procurement](https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/lang/en/presidente/news/paginas/2025/20251007-open-government-partnership.aspx)

La Moncloa · President’s News · 2025-10-07

> At the IX Open Government Partnership Global Summit, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez unveiled two major reforms as part of the country’s new Open Government Plan: a redesigned Transparency Portal and an overhaul of the Public Procurement Platform. The latter will embed artificial intelligence, automation, and advanced analytics to conduct mass audits and detect fraud patterns, moving toward systemic oversight. Sánchez called it a “profound and essential change,” positioning AI as a tool to safeguard democratic accountability.

## AI and Problem Solving

### [Vibe Coding the City: How One Developer Used Open Data to Map Every Public Space in New York City](https://rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/vibe-coding-the-city-how-one-developer-used-open-data-to-map-every-public-space-in-new-york-city)

Reboot Democracy Blog · Dane Gambrell · 2025-10-14

> Using generative AI and open datasets, civic technologist Chris Whong created NYC Public Space—a searchable map of 2,800 parks, plazas, and hidden public sites across the city. The app stitches together fragmented government data, ChatGPT-generated descriptions, and user-contributed photos to spotlight overlooked spaces. It’s a vivid case of “vibe coding” in action, using AI to help public-interest technologists work faster and smarter. But it also shows the limits of AI without human context, relying on community crowdsourcing to close the accuracy gap and make New York’s public realm more legible.

### [Rethinking Government for the Era of Agentic AI Vision Statement](https://agenticstate.org/paper.html#whitepaper-reader)

The Agentic State · Luukas Ilves, Manuel Kilian, Simone Maria Parazzoli, Tiago C. Peixoto, and Ott Velsberg · 2025-10-09

> A new report lays out an updated version of the bold vision for the next phase of digital government: the Agentic State. Unlike past tech waves that digitized manual processes, agentic AI systems can autonomously pursue outcomes, adapt in real time, and coordinate across agencies, if governments are ready. The report introduces a 12-layer framework, from service design and compliance to procurement, cybersecurity, and redress, showing how AI agents could transform public institutions. But the authors warn that without urgent, deliberate action, governments risk adopting systems built for efficiency, not democracy.

## AI and Labor

### [How the Fed Would Respond to an AI-pocalypse](https://www.axios.com/2025/10/08/ai-fed-interest-rates)

Axios · Neil Irwin · 2025-10-08

> If AI-driven automation causes mass job displacement, the Federal Reserve would likely respond with monetary easing, even in a high-growth economy. This piece explores how the Fed’s dual mandate could steer policy in a future where productivity soars but employment falters. Officials like Jerome Powell and Mary Daly emphasize that labor market health, not GDP, will drive Fed action, though past experience shows the limits of monetary policy in navigating technological shocks.

## AI and Public Safety

### [Courts Don’t Know What to Do About AI Crimes](https://restofworld.org/2025/latin-america-judges-ai-crimes/)

Rest of World · Juliana Bedoya · 2025-10-07

> As deepfakes and AI-generated content flood Latin America’s courts, prosecutors are struggling to apply existing laws to new forms of harm, from political misinformation to nonconsensual explicit imagery. While AI is being adopted to ease case backlogs in Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina, regulatory gaps persist in protecting victims and ensuring oversight. This feature documents failed prosecutions, racial bias in facial recognition, and the rise of judge-authored rulings via ChatGPT, underscoring the justice system’s growing reliance on unregulated tools and the region’s urgent need for context-specific governance.

## AI and Elections

### [AI Is Changing How Politics Is Practiced in America](https://prospect.org/power/2025-10-10-ai-artificial-intelligence-campaigns-midterms/)

The American Prospect · Nathan Sanders and Bruce Schneier · 2025-10-10

> From AI-generated robocalls and fundraising scripts to union chatbots and voter suppression tools, campaigns across the spectrum are rapidly adopting AI with little oversight. Sanders and Schneier map the emerging tactics shaping the 2026 U.S. midterms and warn that the real impact may not be visible until after the votes are counted.

## AI and Education

### [Experiencing What’s Next: The Common Wealth of the Commonwealth](https://www.gettingsmart.com/2025/10/09/experiencing-whats-next-the-common-wealth-of-the-commonwealth/)

Getting Smart · Staff · 2025-10-09

> At a Boston convening hosted by Getting Smart and American Student Assistance, leaders explored how community-connected learning and experiential pathways reshape education. Highlights included site visits to Boston Day and Evening Academy, Boston Arts Academy, and Northeastern University, where over 6,000 students have taken on real-world projects, including AI-for-governance tools for city and state partners featuring the AI for Impact Program.

Each item quotes its source; the excerpts are that publication's words. Follow the link for the original.

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Original page: https://rebootdemocracy.ai/newsthatcaughtoureye/80 · Licence: none stated