A LinkedIn thread asking one simple question turned into one of the most honest conversations on AI adoption in local government. Local government professionals, GovTech founders, and vendors weighed in, and nearly every barrier they named traced back to the same root: a lack of clarity, not a lack of technology.

This episode breaks down what that thread revealed: misunderstanding driving fear, employees quietly using AI without admitting it, leaders who limit AI through policy rather than confront their own knowledge gaps, and the difference between responsible governance and avoidance dressed up as caution. It also covers a problem hiding underneath the whole conversation, and a more hopeful case for what AI actually frees local government workers to do.

Source article: I Asked Local Government Professionals About the Biggest Barrier to AI AdoptionFind my work at micahgaudet.comConnect with me on LinkedIn

Most AI policies look like governance but don't function as one. This episode traces the problem back to its roots: AI policy inherits its DNA from IT acceptable-use policies and cybersecurity frameworks, built for tools that behave predictably, not systems that generate new outputs every time.

We break down seven assumptions baked into nearly every AI policy in circulation, from treating AI as just another tool the city controls, to reducing governance to risk management, to mistaking disclosure for real transparency. The conclusion: these policies aren't poorly written. They're doing exactly what they were built to do, and that's the problem.

Source article: We have an AI Policy Problem

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The AI revolution isn’t unfolding the way the headlines claim. New data from Pew, Gallup, OpenAI, and Anthropic reveals a far more contradictory story—one where rapid adoption collides with deep skepticism, and where AI’s most common uses are surprisingly ordinary.

In this episode, we break down five findings that challenge the popular narrative:

• Younger adults are the biggest AI skeptics.
• Most AI use is mundane knowledge work, not sci-fi invention.
• Users automate more but report higher satisfaction with collaborative AI.
• AI use is consistent across jobs but radically different across countries and states.
• Americans fear AI’s risks but overwhelmingly want more training—not more rules.

Taken together, these insights reveal a public that’s uncertain, conflicted, and still figuring out how to integrate AI into daily life. The real story isn’t about the technology’s pace of change—it's about how we choose to use it.

Find my work at www.civicinnovation.ai