AI in Chicago, a Podcast

Chicago's Next Mayor? Susana Mendoza on Fiscal Crisis, AI, and Why City Hall Needs a Builder

Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza inherited a $16.7 billion bill backlog, a credit rating one notch above junk, and a rainy day fund with $48,000. Nine years later: ten credit upgrades, a $2.4 billion rainy day fund, and a payment cycle cut from 210 days to 13. Now, as she eyes a 2027 Chicago mayoral bid, she sits down with AI in Chicago to talk about what fiscal crisis management teaches us about the AI transition — why labor displacement could trigger the next revenue crisis, why transparency infrastructure is a prerequisite for AI in government, and why Chicago's next mayor needs to be a builder, not a bystander.

Responsible AI Scaling With Illinois State CIO and Secretary of the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology Brandon Ragle

In this episode of AI in Chicago, I sit down with Brandon Ragle, Illinois State Chief Information Officer and Secretary of the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology, to talk about what it really takes to scale AI responsibly in a large public-sector organization. Brandon leads more than 1,800 technologists, manages a technology portfolio of over 11 billion dollars, and supports 3636 executive branch agencies serving 1313 million Illinois residents. Our conversation explores why strong foundations matter more than speed when adopting AI — from identity and access management to data governance, cybersecurity, workforce readiness, and long-term change management. We also discuss Illinois’ governance-first AI strategy, the state’s rollout of secure productivity tools, and why Brandon believes AI should enhance people’s work, not replace them. If you’re a leader thinking about AI adoption in government, healthcare, or any complex organization, this episode offers a practical blueprint for doing it right.

Building a Quantum Workforce in Illinois: Why Business Leaders Should Pay Attention Now

In this episode we talk to Harley Johnson, CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park. Most business leaders have quantum computing filed away in the "maybe in 10–15 years" folder. After sitting down with Harley Johnson, the CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP),  for the latest episode of the AI in Chicago Podcast, I'm convinced that timeline needs to be moved up. Significantly.  Timed to the federal CHIPS and Science Act, a group of state and institutional leaders developed a deliberate strategy: take the basic science excellence Illinois had been building for a decade and translate it into economic development. The result is IQMP — a state-backed technology park being built on a former steel mill site on Chicago's South Side, designed to take quantum technology from lab breakthroughs to real-world scale.

The Information War: How Think Tanks Fractured American Democracy (with Prof. E.J. Fagan)

Why do Republicans and Democrats live in different factual universes? The answer traces back to 1973 and three conservative staffers who transformed how America makes policy. Professor E.J. Fagan, author of "The Thinkers," explains how partisan think tanks replaced neutral expertise with competing knowledge regimes—and why smart, educated people are actually easier to fool than everyone else. In this conversation, we explore: * Why the Heritage Foundation was founded and how it changed American politics * How the 2009 stimulus bill demonstrates the cost of ideological capture * Why it's easier to fool intelligent, motivated people than those who are less informed * The difference between think tanks in the US versus other democracies * Why Project 2025 may be less influential than people think * Organizations like the Niskanen Center and R Street Institute that are getting it right Professor Fagan argues the solution isn't neutral centrism;' it's politically engaged organizations with epistemic integrity. As we face decisions about AI deployment, climate adaptation, and economic transformation, we need information infrastructure that serves democracy. Key insight: "Don't try to take the politics out of information, but try to get it right." Guest: Professor E.J. Fagan, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois Chicago and author of "The Thinkers: The Rise of Partisan Think Tanks and the Polarization of American Politics" (Oxford University Press)

Downtown Isn't Dying; It's Evolving | Michael Edwards, CEO of the Chicago Loop Alliance

Michael Edwards has spent 35 years leading downtown organizations across America. In his final months as CEO of the Chicago Loop Alliance, he joins the podcast to discuss downtown narratives in the age of AI with Khullani Abdullahi. He challenges the dominant narrative about urban decline. The data tells a different story: 1.2 million people visited the Loop for arts and culture in Q4 2025, spending $512 million. Weekend foot traffic now exceeds pre-pandemic levels. We discuss the shift from office occupancy as the defining metric, why Chicago's arts patrons visit five times more often than the national average, and how 145,000 Loop residents are reshaping the economic calculus of downtown living.