The GovAI Podcast

In this episode of the GovAI Podcast, Noam Maital and Dustin Haisler are joined by Anh Selissen, Chief Information Officer for the Texas Department of Transportation and a disruptive innovator running one of the largest, most complex public sector technology operations in the country.

With over two decades across the public and private sectors, Anh brings a rare combination of operational discipline and clarity to a 13,500-person, s...

In this episode of the GovAI Podcast, Noam Maital and Dustin Haisler are joined by Andrew Ngui, Chief Digital Officer for the City of Kansas City and a leader at the intersection of digital innovation, data, and responsible AI adoption.

Andrew brings a systems-level perspective on how government should approach AI, not just as a technology shift, but as an organizational and leadership challenge. From introducing the concept of &ldq...

In this episode of the GovAI Podcast, Noam Maital and Dustin Haisler are joined by Micah Gaudet, Deputy Chief Manager and Chief Public Safety Officer for the City of Maricopa, Arizona and a leading voice on practical AI adoption inside government.

Micah brings a hands-on perspective from inside city operations, where AI is no longer experimental, it’s embedded into day-to-day work. From using tools like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Pe...

In this episode of the GovAI Podcast, Noam Maital is joined by Dr. Amit Elazari, Co-Founder and CEO of Open Policy and a leading voice at the intersection of AI, cybersecurity, and global policy.

Amit brings a unique perspective from both inside government affairs and as a founder building tools to scale policy access. From her experience shaping cybersecurity policy at Intel to launching Open Policy, she breaks down why policy has ...

In this episode of the GovAI Podcast, Noam Maital and Dustin Haisler are joined by Benjamin Palacio, Senior IT Analyst for Placer County, California and a longtime practitioner on the frontlines of government AI.

Ben has been building AI solutions since 2018, well before the current wave of generative AI, and brings a rare, hands-on perspective on how AI has evolved inside government over the past several years.

They explore what&rsq...

Season 2 of the GovAI Podcast is here.

AI is evolving faster than government policy, procurement, and regulation can keep up and that gap is creating both massive opportunity and real risk.

In this kickoff episode, Noam Maital and Dustin Haisler break down what’s happening right now across the AI landscape: from federal and state regulation battles to the race between frontier models like OpenAI, Gemini, and Copilot. They also ...

In this episode of the GovAI podcast, Denise Reilly-Hughes, Vermont's Chief Information Officer, discusses her transition from the private sector to government, emphasizing the importance of a human-centric approach to technology. She highlights the need for a code of ethics in AI, the value of embracing failure in innovation, and the challenges of managing public records in the age of AI. The conversation also touches on successfu...

Listen in to Anthony Fisher, Department of Revenue Data Governance and Artificial Intelligence Lead at the State of Colorado, and Jiri Rutner, Homelessness Solutions Enterprise Manager at the City of San Jose, discuss their involvement as founding board members of the GovAI Coalition, and how to approach innovating from within government. 

This podcast is brought to you by Darwin AI, a platform built for state and local governm...

In this episode of the GovAI Podcast, Noam Maital speaks with Rachel Stern, founder and CEO of GovTech Venture, about the transformative role of AI in government technology. They discuss Rachel's journey in the GovTech space, the challenges faced by government agencies in adopting new technologies, and the unique dynamics of selling to government entities. The conversation also explores the implications of AI on public services, th...

In this conversation, Noam Maital interviews Sophia Moore, Chief Innovation and Technology Officer at COTA, about the integration of AI and technology in public transit. They discuss the challenges and opportunities of using AI to enhance customer service, the importance of data governance, and the cultural changes required to upskill the workforce. Sophia shares insights on the future of COTA and how technology will play a crucial...

In this episode of the GovAI Podcast, host Noam Maital speaks with Chris McMasters, the CIO of Corona, California, about the transformative role of AI in government. Chris shares his journey from the private sector to local government, emphasizing the importance of innovation and the challenges of integrating AI into public service. The conversation explores the cultural shifts needed to foster innovation, the complexities of vendo...

In this episode, Noam Maital and Mayor of Lake Stevens, Brett Gailey, explore how AI is reshaping public service by improving efficiency, enhancing decision-making, and preserving institutional knowledge, all while emphasizing the importance of data quality, governance, and workforce education.

This podcast is brought to you by Darwin AI, a platform built for state and local government to help agencies adopt and manage AI responsibl...