There’s plenty of advice floating around on the ways that state and local governments can smoothly integrate artificial intelligence into their management systems. But, as government managers explore new ways of working, that advice really needs to be tailored to individual government situations – the quality of their data; workforce readiness, leadership buy-in and a host of other factors.

We’ve talked with Micah Gaudet a number of times since we had our first conversation with him in the fall of 2023. At the time, he told us about his own exploration of generative AI after the release of ChatGPT a year earlier – initially using this new tool to inspire the stories he was telling to his eight-year-old son and then in very short time, how he started integrating it into the work he did as deputy city manager of the City of Maricopa, Arizona.

During his year of exploration, Gaudet assembled a group of local officials to talk about AI implementation all over the world. We wrote a bit about his journey in “Generative AI and Local Governments”, an article we wrote for the April 2024 edition of Government Finance Review, the publication of the Government Finance Officers Association.

Over the last two years, Gaudet has developed a keen sense of the differences that affect the implementation of AI, which he spells out in a 26-page guide called “A Practical Framework for Implementing AI in Local Government.” 

While the document itself has a nominal cost, Gaudet agreed to provide us with a no-cost chart that could give local government managers a starting sense of how to assess where they are in their own path toward the use of AI.

Of course, artificial intelligence has been around for decades, but the newest tools – and the excitement generated by their use – is still in its infancy. “The reality,” he writes “is that while AI is a powerful tool, it requires human guidance, interpretation, and oversight to be effective.”

In Gaudet’s chart (below), he provides five “readiness levels” for AI implementation. In order to keep from shrinking the chart to unreadably small print, we lopped off the fifth level of readiness and provide the details for “Level Five” directly under the chart.

AI Readiness Matrix

Here are the parts of the chart for “Readiness Level 5”

Mission Alignment: Mission drives innovation; AI enhances ability to meet the mission.

Leadership and Strategy: AI central to strategic planning; Leadership drives AI innovation across departments

Data: Data fully structured, integrated and leveraged for AI; Robust governance with continuous updates

Technology and Tools: Cutting edge technology infrastructure; AI tools essential to all major operations

Workforce and Skills: Highly skilled AI workforce; AI skill a key part of employee development.

One other note from B&G. We have also featured several articles on our website about the generative AI classes Gaudet has been delivering this year on a monthly basis for Strategic Government Resources (SGR) and the Alliance for Innovation. You can find those pieces here and here.

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