Why Responsible AI Adoption Still Starts With People

Artificial intelligence (AI) moved to the top spot in the NASCIO 2026 State CIO Top 10 Priorities for good reason. It creates substantial new opportunities to improve government operations and service to the public. But with those opportunities come new leadership responsibilities. State CIOs are putting AI to work in ways that improve efficiency, strengthen public trust, and keep people at the center of government.

AI Helps People Focus on Higher-Value Work

I’ve worked in GovTech for about 25 years, and agencies have always been asked to do more with less. Budgets are limited. Hiring remains difficult. Experienced employees retire, taking years of institutional knowledge with them. At the same time, residents expect digital government services to be as responsive and intuitive as the digital experiences they use every day in the private sector.

AI gives agencies a practical way to reduce the mundane work that consumes valuable staff time. It can extract information from PDF documents, prioritize inspections based on risk, and help staff quickly review large volumes of information. That gives employees more time to focus on decisions that require experience and judgment.

That’s where I see AI creating the greatest value. AI improves operational efficiency by giving staff more time for the work that only people can do. Those improvements also lead to a stronger resident experience.

Keeping People in the Loop

One of the first things agencies need to establish is clear expectations for how AI will be used. What outcomes are they trying to achieve? Who owns what? How will information be verified?

The answer starts with keeping people in the loop. AI can recommend the next step, but people remain responsible for reviewing recommendations, confirming results, and ultimately making the decisions that affect residents and businesses. Human oversight is an essential part of using AI responsibly. It allows government to adopt AI with confidence while maintaining the accountability and transparency the public expects, strengthening public trust.

Those expectations create the guardrails agencies need as AI capabilities continue to evolve. Leaders should understand where AI adds value, where people remain responsible for decisions, and how staff will verify AI recommendations before acting on them.

Trusted Data Builds Trust in AI

How are employees supposed to verify an AI recommendation if they can’t trust the information behind it?

They can’t. That’s why strong data foundations remain essential. Employees need confidence that the information AI is using is complete, connected, and reliable before they can confidently act on the recommendations it provides.

Modernization and moving to the cloud play an important role in creating that foundation. Aging systems often carry years of technical debt, making even routine changes more difficult and leaving agencies dependent on specialized knowledge that’s becoming harder to replace. Modern systems help agencies reduce technical debt, connect information across systems, and keep data synchronized.

Those investments don’t just support AI today. They allow agencies to validate new capabilities earlier, make improvements sooner, and introduce them more confidently. Over time, that makes it easier to continue adopting AI because agencies are building on information they already trust.

Keeping the Focus Where It Belongs

AI will continue evolving, and government will continue finding new ways to apply it. But that shouldn’t change the role people play in public service.

The greatest opportunity with AI is helping government staff spend more time on the work only people can do. That starts with trusted data, responsible guardrails, and keeping people in the loop. When agencies build on that foundation, they can continue adopting AI confidently while strengthening public trust and improving the resident experience.

You can learn more about the NASCIO 2026 State CIO Top 10 Priorities by downloading the report.

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