Deputy State CIO Johnson Issues Alignment Call to IT Leaders

SACRAMENTO — California’s No. 2 technologist shared his appraisal of the state’s current tech landscape at the California Public Sector CIO Academy* this week in Sacramento, walking through the perils and opportunities facing IT leaders.

Johnson, who holds the deputy CIO role with the California Department of Technology, called on public-sector attendees to better align their operations and policies to address the rapidly shifting technological sands.

“We are operating in a moment where the pace of technological change is outpacing the industry’s capacity. The Industrial Revolution took decades; the mobile era took years; but the AI revolution is occurring in real time,” he said during his comments Tuesday morning.

“This acceleration exposes a gap, especially in governance, cybersecurity, service delivery and organizational readiness,” he added. “The question is no longer whether technology will transform governance, but whether we as leaders can transform that gap to guide it.”

The CIO’s role, he said, is constantly evolving and now requires IT leaders to focus beyond technological needs and more on the people, politics, risks and the business outcomes required for success.

The rapid pace of technological change is quickly exposing gaps in these and putting innovation and security at odds, or at least under tension, as the tools add new efficiencies and threats in tandem, the deputy CIO said.

“AI is now operational, not experimental. The question is no longer should we do or use AI, but are we using it responsibly, securely and worthy of public trust?” he said.

Johnson noted that the trends he sees for the near term include the need for better cybersecurity alignment as it has become a “core operational discipline,” continued modernization of vulnerable legacy technology and a focus on data quality and governance.

To meet these ends, Johnson encouraged CIOs to “be present, be curious, be courageous and participate.”

“When the pace of technology outstrips leadership, we fall behind,” Johnson warned.

*Note: e.Republic, the parent company of Industry Insider — California, hosts the California Public Sector CIO Academy event.