Speaking at an April 15 Technology Foresight Council session, Howell said many public organizations can get early results from a promising tool, but the harder questions emerge when leaders try to scale those efforts across the enterprise and must address security, management, governance and appropriate use. He described that point as the moment many AI pilots begin to fall apart.
For Howell, the answer starts with what he called three pillars: governance, enablement and access:
- Governance, he said, gives agencies the guardrails and accountability needed to use AI safely and consistently.
- Enablement focuses on giving employees the skills, tools and support to use AI in daily work.
- Access is about removing barriers so staff can adopt vetted tools and procurement pathways without starting from scratch.
He also emphasized workforce preparation as a necessary part of adoption. Howell said the council has offered lunch-and-learns, workshops and use-case demonstrations, and recently launched an AI training platform with dozens of courses.
“We’re not forcing everyone to adopt and use AI,” he said. “We’re trying to give them the tools, give them the training and give them the opportunity to start to play with these ... new technologies and learn them.”
One of the more concrete steps Howell described was the creation of an innovation sandbox, an isolated environment where the council can quickly prototype and test AI solutions before moving them into production. He said that gives the organization a way to validate assumptions and explore new technologies without having to fully resolve every governance issue before testing begins.
Other speakers reinforced parts of Howell’s message. Dustin Haisler, chief AI officer and U.S. general manager for Darwin AI, said agencies are moving quickly from generative AI tools toward embedded and agent-based systems, increasing the need for visibility into what tools employees and vendors are already using.
Lacy Pritchard, records and information management manager at Manatee County, Fla., described the county’s rollout of an AI-powered chatbot tied to a redesigned service-focused website, saying the tool has helped answer resident questions while also identifying gaps in website content.
Howell also addressed smaller governments that may not have large AI budgets. He said agencies in Microsoft or Google environments should begin with the AI capabilities already included in those platforms rather than trying to purchase entirely new tools at the outset. Haisler added that smaller jurisdictions may also benefit from partnerships with neighboring governments, universities and cooperative purchasing programs.
