Here are the people and organizations recognized in the inaugural AI 50 awards.
INDIVIDUALS
Leila Doty, privacy & AI analyst, San Jose — In her work in San Jose, a leader in municipal AI, Doty created the city’s AI framework and manages the GovAI Coalition, which brings together over 600 members from more than 250 government agencies nationwide to promote responsible use of AI in the public sector.
Ben Palacio, senior AI analyst, Placer County — Palacio is a thought leader in AI use for local government, from chatbots and large language models to how vendors should work with agencies to implement ethical, productive AI solutions. In Placer County, Palacio was an early adopter and champion of integrated chatbot use.
PUBLIC-SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS
California Department of Technology — The state’s IT agency has spearheaded the way California procures AI and generative AI (GenAI) solutions, ensuring comprehensive risk assessments and training. Led by CIO Liana Bailey-Crimmins and Chief Technology Officer Jonathan Porat, CDT took early steps to establish a sandbox environment to test real-world use cases like language translation and building inspections.
California Department of Transportation — In partnership with Accenture and other state agencies, Caltrans launched a GenAI solution to glean traffic mobility insights in order to improve road safety, reduce freight network congestion and promote data-driven decision-making overall.
Long Beach — Long Beach uses AI to drive progress for its operations, staff and greater community. A dedicated AI governance and program manager oversees the city’s AI policy, and a publicly available AI use case registry records the real-world ways it’s using new tech.
San Mateo County — With a focus on cross-agency collaboration, San Mateo County is using AI to improve emergency response, health services and resident engagement. A new AI chat and search system aims to make it easier for residents to find the information they need from the county.
PRIVATE-SECTOR ORGANIZATIONS
Automotus — Automotus’ curb management solution automates curbside data collection to streamline parking, payments and enforcement, making city streets safer for both pedestrians and drivers of all vehicles, from passenger cars and delivery trucks to e-bikes and scooters.
Cisco — Cisco supports state and local government innovation by embedding AI in its products for cybersecurity, networking and virtual collaboration, as well as providing IT infrastructure such as data centers and hybrid cloud solutions that stand up to AI’s needs.
GovAI Coalition — Founded in San Jose in March of 2024, the GovAI Coalition is an active group of state, local and federal members with the shared goal of using AI safely and responsibly in government.
Laserfiche — To help make sense of long and dense government documents, Laserfiche’s AI-driven tools help summarize text, extract essential information and eliminate manual data entry on a secure, user-friendly platform.
*The Center for Public Sector AI is part of e.Republic, Industry Insider — California's parent company.
