AI and Human Services: Innovating to Serve People Better
March 2026
6 sessions
About the Series
Launching March 23, 2026
This series explores how public agencies can use AI to strengthen benefits delivery, case management, and service design while centering ethics, equity, and public accountability. Developed in collaboration with the Center for Civic Futures, all sessions are moderated by Rob Asaro Angelo (Former Commissioner of Labor, State of New Jersey), and hosted by Cassandra Madison (Executive Director, Center for Civic Futures).
Human services agencies operate at the intersection of complex policy, constrained resources, and real human need. In this six workshop series we work with leading practitioners on ways we can all use AI in our work. From shaping eligibility determination to improving client communication to personalizing services, we explore together how agencies can responsibly integrate the use of AI. Rather than treating AI as a silver bullet, the series emphasizes human-centered design, risk management, and meaningful engagement with communities and frontline staff.
For those unfamiliar with artificial intelligence, we recommend completing the InnovateUS self-paced course on Responsible AI for Public Professionals in advance of this workshop series.
AI and Human Services: Innovating to Serve Pe…Co-Designing with Communities: Building AI Tools with Residents and Frontline Staff
This session focuses on participatory approaches to designing AI-enabled systems. Participants will explore how engaging residents, advocates, and frontline staff can improve system design, surface risks early, and build trust—especially in communities most af…
AI and Human Services: Innovating to Serve Pe…Simpler Services, Stronger Access: Designing Better Systems with AI
This session provides a grounded introduction to AI for human services leaders, clarifying what AI is, what it is not, and how it is already being used in eligibility determination, case management, and client communications. Participants will build shared und…
AI and Human Services: Innovating to Serve Pe…Innovations in Action: Inspiring projects from around the country
Human services agencies are under intense pressure to stabilize Medicaid and SNAP at a moment marked by eligibility backlogs, procedural disenrollments, high error rates, staffing shortages, and declining public trust. This session focuses on how states are us…
AI and Human Services: Innovating to Serve Pe…The Identity Challenge: Tackling User Disambiguation and Data Integration Across Programs
This session explores one of the most persistent challenges in human services: accurately identifying and supporting individuals across fragmented systems. Participants will examine how AI can support identity resolution and data integration, along with the ri…
AI and Human Services: Innovating to Serve Pe…Responsible AI in Practice
This session focuses on the guardrails needed to use AI responsibly in human services contexts. Participants will explore governance structures, risk management strategies, and oversight approaches designed to protect clients, support staff, and ensure complia…
AI and Human Services: Innovating to Serve Pe…AI 101 for Human Services Leaders
This session provides a grounded introduction to AI for human services leaders, clarifying what AI is, what it is not, and how it is already being used in eligibility determination, case management, and client communications. Participants will build shared und…