Top US cyber leaders will headline the 2025 Aspen Cyber Summit on November 18.
Help us celebrate a decade of dialogue and action. Register now to join us in Washington, DC.
Top US cyber leaders will headline the 2025 Aspen Cyber Summit on November 18.
Help us celebrate a decade of dialogue and action. Register now to join us in Washington, DC.
Workstream
State and local governments across the US are evaluating artificial intelligence (AI) tools to improve systems and operations for the public’s benefit.
As part of this process, these civil servants are focused on hiring people from the tech field who have the deep knowledge and experience to assist with developing ethical AI processes, managing AI procurement, and advising on AI policies.
Technologists moving from industry to government hope to serve the public and better government systems with their expertise. Yet, they quickly learn that government operates much differently than the private sector and often struggle with the slower timelines and detailed processes.
These new civil servants may be the only people in their team or department with a technology skillset. This can lead to feelings of isolation, a loss of motivation, and early departures of these critical employees, preventing governments from having a firm and sustained grasp on their AI strategy.
To support the success of these technologists-turned-civil-servants, Aspen Digital and the Aspen Policy Academy are hosting the Rising Civic AI Leaders Initiative. This is a free, part-time, unpaid virtual program that teaches AI and emerging technology professionals who are new to government how to have policy impact. The leaders participate in an immersive, 3-month virtual policy training course that teaches core skills, including policy writing, public speaking, stakeholder mapping, and solution scoping.
We hope to level what is a traditionally steep learning curve for entering government while also building a strong community of civic AI leaders and mentors from across the country.
Equity Data and Policy Analyst, Office of Equity and Human Rights, City of Portland, OR
AI and Emerging Technologies Fellow, City of Seattle’s Information Technology Department
CEO of Zenolabs.AI, author of “AI and the Boardroom,” and Chair of Trustworthyaiindex.org
With the quick advancements of AI-powered systems, many industry experts are taking the tech-to-government journey to state and local.
If you would like to help support or otherwise get involved with the program, please reach out.