TxDOT, CapMetro CIOs Detail AI Plans and Vendor Expectations

Artificial intelligence may be reshaping transportation technology, but for the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and the Capital Metropolitan Transportation Authority (CapMetro), the more immediate challenge is determining which tools are worth the investment and how quickly the agencies can adapt their networks and operations to support them.

That was a central theme of Thursday’s Industry Insider — Texas member briefing in Austin featuring TxDOT Chief Information Officer Anh Selissen and CapMetro Chief Information Officer Tanya Acevedo, who discussed agency priorities and what they want vendors to understand before bringing forward new products.

For CapMetro, Acevedo said infrastructure remains a top priority as buses, trains and other connected systems generate more data and place greater demands on bandwidth. She said the agency is working to build more redundancy into its network environment, including private cellular connectivity, as outages become more disruptive in a transit setting.

Acevedo also pointed to AI as a second major focus, saying vendors have to understand how existing platforms are evolving and how new tools fit into day-to-day operations. Her third priority centered on the customer experience, particularly CapMetro’s effort to create a more unified digital journey for riders moving across services such as bike-share, pickup, bus and rail. The goal, she said, is a smoother experience for trip planning, payment and real-time alerts through a single app environment.

Selissen described a similar set of priorities at TxDOT, though on a statewide scale. She said the agency is in the middle of an 18-month software-defined wide area network implementation aimed at improving both resiliency and security segmentation across its large footprint. That work follows network and firewall upgrades and reflects a broader push to harden critical transportation infrastructure as cyber threats increase.

She also said TxDOT is continuing to build out its artificial intelligence strategic plan, with a focus on data quality, enterprise tools and workforce enablement. Rather than treating AI as a standalone initiative, Selissen framed it as part of a longer-term effort to determine which tools the agency can deploy at scale and how a workforce of more than 13,000 people can use them effectively.

Both CIOs made clear that AI adoption is tied closely to practical constraints, including budgets, governance and security. Acevedo said one of the hardest parts of evaluating new tools is determining which offerings can deliver measurable value.

“The biggest challenge is sifting through what’s hype and what’s really going to get the return on investment that we really need to do,” she said. “And so when we’re trying to figure out, ‘Hey, should we invest in this?’ it’s, ‘How fast can we fail?’”

Cybersecurity was another major theme, especially where information technology and operational technology intersect. Selissen said TxDOT is seeing a sharp increase in attempted attacks against its network and argued that transportation infrastructure must now be viewed through the lens of electronic warfare. Acevedo said CapMetro is especially focused on edge devices and operational environments where a single mistake can have direct consequences for rail and bus operations.

The briefing also highlighted how both agencies are thinking about digital services. Acevedo said CapMetro is trying to improve how customers navigate a growing mix of transportation options, while Selissen pointed to TxDOT efforts involving data analytics, automation and AI-enabled tools that could eventually support areas such as roadway operations and incident response.

For vendors, the message was direct. Both CIOs said they want focused, informed conversations grounded in agency needs rather than generic sales pitches. Selissen urged suppliers to make a clear case for the value of what they are offering.

“Really explain to us why we should care,” she said. “And don’t try to sell things just to sell things, because at the end of the day, guys, we don’t have all the money in the world.”

The discussion underscored how two transportation agencies with different missions are confronting many of the same pressures: more connected infrastructure, more security risk and greater demand for responsive digital services. For TxDOT and CapMetro, that means making disciplined bets on networks, data and AI while expecting vendors to show where their products can deliver practical value.