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The GovLab
@thegovlab.org
Action research center studying and co-designing data-driven & participatory decisions #data #opendata #innovation #datacollaboratives #crowdlaw. Learn more at: thegovlab.org
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Hello all, we at The GovLab are excited to launch our new presence on Bluesky! 🦋

The GovLab is an action research center that studies how institutions and individuals can use technology and science to make more effective, equitable, and legitimate decisions to solve public problems.
🌍💻NEW REPORT: Social Data for Health📊🩺

Drawing on 290+ studies, 5 studios, numerous interviews & 23 expert reviews, we look globally at how #health researchers use social #data, key challenges, & actions for #policymakers, funders & researchers.

wellcome.org/insights/rep...
November 6, 2025 at 7:04 PM
“La desinformación no es nueva; la IA solo la hace más barata.”

En @lavanguardia.com, @bethnoveck.bsky.social aboga por una gobernanza democrática de la IA. De Decidim a la inteligencia colectiva, la IA pública debe ser humana y gobernada localmente.

buff.ly/C27US0o
October 20, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Vietnam just released a draft AI law. It’s ambitious: national AI fund, risk tiers, sovereignty safeguards.

But public legitimacy depends on how people are heard. As Giulio Quaggiotto showed in his Reboot post, Vietnam’s “applied AI” work is already people-first.
Work with what you have: how Vietnam is using AI as a way to encourage a learning culture among public servants
While the West races toward artificial general intelligence, Vietnam is charting a different path with “Applied AI,” using tools like ChatGPT to overcome language barriers, limited budgets, and…
buff.ly
October 17, 2025 at 7:01 PM
The Agentic State project just dropped a new Vision Statement.

Back in June, we unpacked the original whitepaper and asked, can AI help us build institutions worthy of public trust?

📖 Read @bethnoveck.bsky.social’s take → buff.ly/Quty6oL

#AgenticState #AIforGovernance #RebootDemocracy
Research Radar: The Agentic State: A 20-Year Wish List, Finally Within Reach?
This week’s Research Radar highlights The Agentic State, an ambitious whitepaper arguing that AI agents could reshape the core functions of government. It’s a timely vision for public sector…
rebootdemocracy.ai
October 17, 2025 at 3:53 PM
This week’s news picks bring the democratic AI vision to life:
🗽 NY trains 1,000 civil servants
🇪🇸 Spain audits procurement with AI
🇺🇸 US agencies release compliance plans
🗺️ Plus: mapping NYC’s public spaces with AI + crowdsourcing

📚 News That Caught Our Eye #80: buff.ly/bFbyXL0
News That Caught Our Eye #80 - News That Caught Our Eye
New America’s Anne-Marie Slaughter says states are becoming the laboratories of democratic AI—building “public AI” that is open, trustworthy, and rooted in the public good. This week’s stories bring t
rebootdemocracy.ai
October 16, 2025 at 4:00 PM
We’re proud to celebrate the Malawi Voice Data Commons (MVDC), a winner of the 2025 New Commons Challenge for Development of a Data Commons! 🎉

The MVDC seeks to create a voice data commons to enable citizens to report emergencies in local languages.

Read more: www.newcommons.ai/winners/mala...
October 15, 2025 at 6:09 PM
“AI doesn’t just change how gov works. It changes what it is.” @slaughteram.bsky.social said it best at this summer’s National Gathering for State AI Leaders.

That’s the future we’re building at @innovateus.bsky.social

Read her reflections → buff.ly/xwZEDpo

#GlobalAIWatch
New America CEO Anne-Marie Slaughter Reflects on the National Gathering for State AI Leaders
States aren’t merely engaged in how America adapts artificial intelligence; they are key to determining how the U.S. can thrive with the technology. This summer, Princeton University’s Center for…
rebootdemocracy.ai
October 15, 2025 at 2:01 PM
NYC has 2,800+ public spaces.
But no easy way to find them.

chriswhong.bsky.social built a map
using open data, AI, and “vibe coding.”

Open data isn’t just transparency.
It’s an infrastructure for public good.

buff.ly/ecdFKgv

#ResearchRadar #RebootDemocracy
October 14, 2025 at 8:29 PM
Big news from New York: Governor Hochul just launched an AI training pilot for 1,000 state employees with @innovateus.bsky.social

Proud to see public servants getting the tools and trust they need to shape AI for the public good.

📖 buff.ly/KhFhifd

#AIforGovernance #RebootDemocracy #InnovateUS
Governor Hochul Announces Artificial Intelligence Training Pilot Program for New York State Workforce
Governor Hochul announced an AI training pilot program designed for the NYS workforce.
its.ny.gov
October 9, 2025 at 6:37 PM
📖 Read this week’s News That Caught Our Eye: buff.ly/T0J55OK

This week’s reporting captures the widening gap between AI adoption and the structures meant to guide it. Together, it sketches the messy yet essential evolution toward accountable, civic-aligned AI.

#RebootDemocracy
News That Caught Our Eye #79 - News That Caught Our Eye
This week’s reporting captures a widening gap between AI adoption and the structures meant to guide it, from multilateral arenas to frontline agencies. The World Bank outlines readiness tools for publ
rebootdemocracy.ai
October 9, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Excited to welcome Elana Banin as Interim Comms Director at @burnescenter.bsky.social + Editor of @rebootdemocracy.bsky.social!

Her first blog post analyzes the UN’s new AI resolution, arguing legitimacy isn’t declared, it’s built from the ground up.

📖 buff.ly/w9De8SS

#GlobalAIWatch
The Next UN: AI, Power, and What Global Governance Must Become
buff.ly
October 8, 2025 at 1:01 PM
New on Reboot Democracy's Research Radar: The AIMES Lab at @northeasternu.bsky.social is pioneering methods in “Silicon Sampling” using AI to simulate public opinion in early-stage survey design.

📖 Read the full piece:
Silicon Sampling: When Communications Practitioners Should (and Shouldn’t) use AI in the Survey Pipeline
buff.ly
October 7, 2025 at 1:30 PM
AI is ravenous, and public datasets feed its growth. In Spain with @opengovpartnership.org this week, we ask: what do we get in return?

If public data fuels private innovation, it’s time to demand civic licenses, open benchmarks & public returns.

📖 buff.ly/6FzzMvp

#RebootDemocracy #OGPSummit
Feeding the Beast: Powering Democratic AI with Open Data
AI’s biggest breakthroughs were built on public datasets; the next wave should be, too. If governments make data AI-ready and keep access open, we can power tools that explain laws, improve services,…
rebootdemocracy.ai
October 6, 2025 at 1:43 PM
This week's news in AI + democracy:

🔹 California passes first U.S. AI safety law
🔹 Experts weigh in on Spain’s landmark ruling on algorithmic transparency
🔹 New frameworks for peace tech + civic procurement

More in our weekly roundup 👇
buff.ly/nkUAD1j

#NewsThatCaughtOurEye
rebootdemocracy.ai
October 2, 2025 at 11:45 AM
📣 Spain’s Supreme Court just made algorithmic transparency a constitutional right. A huge step forward for democracy.

@jlmarti.bsky.social breaks down the significance of the Bosco ruling and why it matters beyond Spain.

🧵 Read: buff.ly/J36Ig6K

#GlobalAIWatch #DigitalDemocracy
October 1, 2025 at 9:30 AM
A new post by Sofía Bosch Gómez of @burnescenter.bsky.social spotlights AIEP, an AI tool co-designed with parents to navigate IEPs and build civic power.

🤝 Trained parent leaders
📱 WhatsApp-based AI literacy
🏫 Schools now adopting

📖 buff.ly/Mi55ulU
#AIandEducation
When Communities Lead, Appropriate Tech and Change Follow
Co-designed with parents, the AIEP tool is both a technical solution and a catalyst for civic power for families of children with diverse abilities. By building AI literacy through in-person training…
rebootdemocracy.ai
September 30, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Today on Reboot Democracy: A close review of friend.com, the AI “wearable” marketed across NYC subways as a cure for loneliness.

It listens, responds, and records, without consent. What should we do about it?

📖 buff.ly/C71FHe9

#ResponsibleAI #TechEthics #RebootDemocracy
September 29, 2025 at 1:45 PM
Congress adopts Copilot. Spain backs algorithmic transparency. Trump-linked firms profit from AI chip diplomacy. And a new People Powered guide reframes participation platforms as governance choices.

📖 Read this week’s News That Caught Our Eye:
News that Caught Our Eye #77 - News That Caught Our Eye
Congress will roll out Microsoft Copilot for 6,000 House staffers. Ohio launches an AI-powered public safety app while Albania’s AI “minister” echoes a South Korean experiment. A Supreme Court ruling
buff.ly
September 25, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Participation only works when tools match purpose.

Dane Gambrell reflects on @peoplepowered.bsky.social's new platform guide + how to design engagement that works. Read the post buff.ly/EMyd7b9

Then join us tomorrow at 3pm ET for a workshop: buff.ly/1lC39Uc
Choosing Wisely: A New Resource for Picking the Right Participation Platform
Choosing a digital participation platform is a governance choice. Dane Gambrell's latest post explores what the new Guide to Digital Participation Platforms gets right, the idea that participation…
buff.ly
September 23, 2025 at 4:30 PM
Governing with AI: Why Albania’s “Chatbot Minister” isn’t a stunt. History shows digital tools can fight corruption & build trust, if they deliver visibility, accountability & recourse.

📖 Read @bethnoveck.bsky.social on Reboot Democracy: buff.ly/mcXex09
Governing with AI: Why Albania’s Chatbot Minister Makes More Sense Than You Think
The Washington Post dismisses Albania’s chatbot minister as a gimmick. Yet Seoul proved 25 years ago that well-designed digital systems can curb corruption by limiting discretion and increasing…
rebootdemocracy.ai
September 22, 2025 at 3:35 PM
🎙️ TOMORROW at 2PM ET: Join Senior Fellow Dr.
@alisterfmartin.bsky.social
for a free InnovateUS workshop on how AI is cutting through red tape to unlock access to SNAP, WIC, Lifeline, and more.

💻 Register here: innovate-us.org/leveraging-a...
September 16, 2025 at 5:08 PM
💡 How can AI help people enroll in federal benefits?

Join Dr. @alisterfmartin.bsky.social for an @innovateus.bsky.social workshop on how improve equity in benefit enrollment using AI.

@linkhealth.bsky.social, @ahdemocracy.bsky.social

📅 Sept 17, 2pm ET
💻 Register: innovate-us.org/leveraging-a...
September 11, 2025 at 4:13 PM
Research Radar 🔍

For Reboot Democracy, Dane Gambrell analyzes recent report on @rand.org, @stimsoncenter.bsky.social exploring AI and policymaking.

rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/putting...
Research Radar: RAND on AI-Enabled Policymaking: Opportunities, Obstacles, and the Road Ahead
A report on a recent workshop cohosted by RAND, the Stimson Center, and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change explores how AI can support more effective policymaking. AI shows promise for automat...
rebootdemocracy.ai
September 9, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Reposted by The GovLab
Join us on September 30 for a free workshop on AI-supported public engagement! @bethnoveck.bsky.social and Dane Gambrell will explore how to define clear goals, reach the right participants, and turn public input into actionable results using #AI. Register here events.zoom.us/ev/AsyVb0keS...
September 9, 2025 at 1:59 PM
🚀 Join our Reboot Democracy Workshops this fall, an
@innovateus.bsky.social series led by @bethnoveck.bsky.social, and Danielle Allen, @harvardash.bsky.social

Real practitioners, real tools starts Sept 11! Learn more and register for workshops: rebootdemocracy.ai/blog/reboot2...
September 8, 2025 at 2:17 PM