Government Innovation California

Examining the operational, governance, workforce readiness, data and modern infrastructure needed to enable long-term AI success in government.

Data is the foundation for AI-enabled government, but agencies need the right operating model to use it responsibly, securely and effectively. This keynote will examine how California’s Statewide Data Strategy 2026–2027 can support AI readiness, open data, data minimization and better service delivery across complex public sector environments.

• What a practical data and AI operating model looks like for government.
• How open data, data minimization and privacy controls can work together.
• Building AI readiness through governance, data quality and cross-agency collaboration.
• Using data to improve service delivery while maintaining public trust.

Human-centred service delivery requires more than new digital channels — it depends on clear journeys, accessible design, data-informed decision-making and measurable outcomes. This keynote will explore how California can design services that are easier for residents to use and easier for public servants to improve over time.

• How California State Digital Strategy priorities translate into practical service design.
• Using data and feedback to identify friction points in resident journeys.
• Accessibility and inclusion as core requirements, not afterthoughts.
• How agencies can measure whether digital services are actually improving outcomes.

As agencies adopt AI, cloud and data-driven services, the cyber threat landscape is also evolving. This keynote will explore how Cal-Secure 2.0 can help California strengthen resilience, manage identity and supply-chain risk, and prepare for AI-enabled threats across state and local government.

• How Cal-Secure 2.0 supports enterprise cyber governance and resilience.
• What AI-enabled threats mean for ransomware, phishing, identity and incident response.
• Managing third-party, supply-chain and cloud security risk in modern government.
• How cyber leaders can align security controls with service delivery and innovation.

As GenAI use expands across government, agencies need secure environments, clear governance and measurable value from the start. This session will explore how enterprise GenAI tools, sandboxing, secure cloud, evaluation practices and workforce adoption strategies can help agencies scale AI safely and responsibly.

• Building secure, governed environments for enterprise GenAI adoption.
• Moving from individual productivity pilots to scalable agency-wide use cases.
• Supporting workforce adoption with training, guardrails, evaluation and change management.

Residents often experience government through complex, multi-step journeys that cross programs, systems and agencies. This session will explore how modern service delivery platforms can connect identity, eligibility, case management, contact centers, workflow and data to reduce friction for residents and improve productivity for staff.

• Connecting fragmented systems around the full resident journey.
• Using workflow, case management and contact center modernization to improve service delivery.
• Reducing administrative burden while improving accessibility, responsiveness and trust.

AI, data and cloud adoption increase the need for security models that can protect sensitive information while enabling innovation. This session will examine how zero trust, cloud security, AI risk controls, monitoring and third-party risk management can support resilient, high-trust government environments.

• Applying zero trust principles across AI, data, cloud and identity environments.
• Protecting models, data and workloads while enabling responsible innovation.
• Strengthening monitoring, third-party risk management and incident readiness.

Government agencies are moving quickly to establish AI strategies and governance frameworks, but many continue to face challenges in translating vision into an enterprise-wide, sustainable operating model. This panel explores how agencies can bridge the gap between governance and execution by aligning technology, data, infrastructure, and organizational capabilities to deploy AI securely, responsibly, and at scale.

• Translating governance frameworks into scalable implementation and operational outcomes.
• Building and OrchestratingAI-ready data and technologies
• Enabling visibility into impact of AI on the business and programs.
• Evolving skills, enhancing operating models and managing change to ensure adoption.
• Embedding security, privacy, risk management, and responsible AI throughout the AI lifecycle.

Trust is now a core requirement for digital government. This panel will explore how identity, privacy, consent, open data and service design can come together to improve resident access while protecting personal information and reducing friction across government journeys.

• How Digital Identity Services and California Identity Gateway can support resident-centred access.
• What privacy-by-design means for eligibility, benefits, licensing and public information services.
• How consent, DROP, open data and data minimization can reinforce public trust.
• Ways agencies can balance equity, security and usability in digital service delivery.

AI procurement is becoming a governance challenge as much as a buying process. This panel will explore how California agencies can evaluate, procure and manage AI tools under emerging requirements for transparency, provenance, vendor accountability, bias safeguards and civil-rights protections.

• How EO N-5-26 changes expectations for moderate- and high-risk GenAI use cases.
• What agencies need from vendors to demonstrate trust, safety and accountability.
• How watermarking, provenance and certification recommendations may affect procurement.
• Practical ways to embed responsible AI requirements into solicitations, evaluation and contract management.

Modern cloud, data platforms and shared services can help agencies reduce duplication, improve resilience and accelerate delivery. This session will explore how California agencies can use shared infrastructure, integration architecture, procurement pathways and enterprise services to modernize faster while managing cost, risk and complexity.

• Using shared services and cloud platforms to reduce duplicated technology investments.
• Aligning integration architecture, data platforms and procurement pathways with agency needs.
• Accelerating modernization while maintaining governance, resilience and security.

Customer experience strategies only create value when they become operational change inside agencies. This session will examine how public sector teams can redesign processes, modernize channels and use data to improve high-volume services such as 311, permitting, benefits, licensing and resident support.

• Translating CX goals into practical service redesign and process improvement.
• Modernization patterns for 311, permitting, benefits, licensing and multi-channel support.
• Measuring operational impact through service performance, staff capacity and resident outcomes.

Scaling AI in government requires practical governance that teams can apply consistently across programs, procurements and use cases. This session will explore how agencies can operationalize AI policy through risk classification, training, auditability, procurement language and cross-functional collaboration.

• Turning AI policy into repeatable governance practices for everyday use.
• Defining risk classifications, auditability requirements and procurement language.
• Coordinating IT, legal, procurement, privacy, security and business teams around responsible adoption.

Roundtable 1: Modernizing digital services while protecting trust, privacy and security

Roundtable 2: Modernizing legacy systems without disrupting government operations

Roundtable 3: Strengthening cyber resilience in an evolving threat landscape

Roundtable 4: Unlocking the value of data for better government decision-making

Roundtable 5: Accelerating digital transformation through smarter procurement

Roundtable 6: Building a future-ready government workforce for digital change

Roundtable 7: Improving resident experience through connected government services

Roundtable 8: Cloud modernization, interoperability and building a flexible technology foundation

Roundtable 9: Delivering more with less: Driving efficiency amid budget and workforce constraints

Roundtable 10: Breaking down silos: Enabling collaboration across agencies to improve public outcomes

Government procurement is evolving, with agencies seeking not just cost savings but also innovation, accountability, and long-term value from vendor relationships. In this session, procurement leaders will provide insights to help vendors better understand the government’s priorities, expectations, and processes. Attendees will gain clarity on how to navigate compliance requirements, present innovative solutions, and build partnerships that align with agency missions and citizen needs.

• What government buyers look for beyond pricing
• Common challenges vendors face in government procurement—and how to overcome them
• Best practices for engaging with agencies early and effectively
• How agencies evaluate innovation while ensuring fairness and compliance
• Building trusted, transparent, and long-term vendor partnerships

A quick-fire share-back: we’ll take the mic around the room for the top takeaways from each roundtable, so you can catch the insights from sessions you missed before reconvening for the rest of the conference.