Stories: Connecting Analysis with Lived Experience
Stories can show how people experience a policy, program, investment, or public problem. They can help government staff understand why an issue matters, who benefits, who encounters barriers, and how implementation differs from what aggregate measures suggest.
This session examines how state and local governments collect and interpret stories from residents, program participants, frontline staff, businesses, and community organizations. Participants will consider how stories contribute qualitative evidence that can be analyzed alongside quantitative findings. Speakers will also explore how stories can reveal outcomes, opportunities, or community priorities that existing measures may not capture.
Amplify: Mastering Public Communication in th…Coming UpCommunicating in a Fragmented Media Landscape: Reaching Audiences Across Platforms and Echo Chambers
A press release, a press conference, the local paper, a public meeting. That used to be the whole job. Now your residents are split across newsletters, podcasts, group chats, and short-form video, sorted by algorithms into audiences that never overlap, and a g…
Democratic and Public AI: Practical Strategie…Coming UpWhat is Public and Democratic AI and Why it Matters
A growing set of efforts argues that the public should have a more direct stake in how AI systems are built and overseen. This idea travels under several names, public AI and democratic AI among them. At its core, this idea calls for greater public involvement…
AI Insourcing and the Government Product Mode…Coming UpFrom Projects to Products
Explore how public agencies can shift toward a product mindset focused on continuous improvement, user needs, and measurable public outcomes. You will learn what product management looks like in government and how teams can use feedback, data, and iteration to…
Worker-Centered AI Adoption in the Public Sec…Coming UpBuilding AI With Your Workforce: Workers as Co-Designers
Even with trust and governance in place, many agencies still design and deploy AI tools without ever bringing frontline workers into the actual development process. This closing workshop explores what it looks like to go a step further: treating workers not ju…
Amplify: Mastering Public Communication in th…Coming UpExplaining AI: How Communicators Can Explain What Their Agency Is Doing with AI
Your agency is probably already using AI to process applications, flag fraud, or route services. Most residents don't know. When they find out, they'll have three questions: Who's accountable? Can it be wrong? What happens to my data? The communicators who can…