A Home for Every Child Initiative eight months in: PIPs and predictive algorithms

A Home for Every Child Initiative eight months in: PIPs and predictive algorithms

Assistant Secretary Adams joins the podcast to discuss the "A Home for Every Child Initiative," and how modernizing child welfare systems with predictive algorithms and automated tools can better support families in need. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.

The AIDE initiative: How AI can help emergency managers better prepare for disasters

Greenberg joins the podcast to discuss the AIDE initiative and how it fits into the national effort to use emerging technologies in emergency management New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts , Soundcloud or Spotify.

The pole problem: A hidden challenge for BEAD deployment

Michael Santorelli of the New York Law School said the BEAD program will involvle as many as four million utility poles across the country, and complex regulations and rules around their use could slow dow broadband deployment. Santorelli joins the podcast to discuss the his organization's recent report that evaluates the problem with utility poles when it comes to BEAD deployment. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Soundcloud or Spotify.

Chief AI officer role is ‘part strategy, part operator, part change leader’

Chief AI officer role is ‘part strategy, part operator, part change leader’ A growing number of states are hiring officials whose primary job is to ensure the considerate deployment of artificial intelligence. In Oklahoma, that’s Tai Phan, who last November was named the state’s first chief artificial intelligence and technology officer. Phan said the role is unique because AI is infused into all aspects of his state’s enterprise technology. “This is one sport, if you will, that requires everybody to be involved: legal, procurement, risk, cybersecurity, policymakers. We’re increasingly seeing a need to get those leaders involved early on because the decision for AI should be done collectively, and it does take a village to drive the transformation well,” he said on the Priorities Podcast. “This role is no longer a technical role, at least in Oklahoma. It’s part strategy, part operator, part change leader.” Phan said building trust around AI is also a key part of the job, a challenging task, but also one that’s “fun to do.” This week’s top stories: Several state technology officials last week brought before a House Homeland Security subcommittee a request that Congress reauthorize funding for the expired State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program and renew cybersecurity programs inside the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that have been decommissioned under the Trump administration. Colin Ahern, New York State’s director of security and intelligence, said “our states are on the front lines of multiple cyber conflicts, yet we are being asked to manage nation-state risks while our federal partners step back.” The Trump administration’s Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council is proposing one of the most significant restructurings of federal disaster response in decades, a shift that could dramatically expand the responsibilities of state and local emergency management agencies. A report published by the council this month calls for expanded communications systems and new systems for tracking assets across the various levels of government. California Gov. Gavin Newsom last week signed an executive order directing agencies to prepare workers, small businesses and the public for the potential economic disruption brought on by artificial intelligence. The order directs agencies to study potential labor market shifts tied to AI adoption, including layoffs, hiring changes and skills gaps. New episodes of StateScoop’s Priorities Podcast are posted each Wednesday. For more of the latest news and trends across the state and local government technology community, subscribe to the Priorities Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts,Soundcloud or Spotify.

The digital divide is shrinking, but 'there's still a long way to go'

Lopez and Varn discuss how states are implementing BEAD while dealing with uncertainty, technical debates around the program and the core challenge of access versus adoption.