Here Are Some of the States (& Vendors) on the Cutting-Edge of Gov AI Implementation

Across the country, public servants are testing new approaches, improving services, modernizing operations, and generating lessons that could help other governments move faster and make better decisions. Too often, those lessons stay trapped within a single agency or jurisdiction.

So, over the course of this Spring, CCF rolled out its first-ever AI in Action Awards as a vehicle to spotlight some of the most consequential, people-driven AI implementation projects happening across state, Tribal, and territorial government agencies and use case examples. 

The recipients of this year’s awards – four state government agencies, a territorial general services administration, a county district attorney’s office, and all their vendor partners – demonstrated the range of what thoughtful AI adoption looks like in practice, from workforce tools and operational improvements to creative applications and promising early-stage pilots.

Here are the awardees for the 2026 CCF AI in Action Awards:

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Smartest AI Buy

Commonwealth of Puerto Rico with Glass

Procurement Catalog Standardization and Classification Project (ASG Item Master)

The Administración de Servicios Generales de Puerto Rico (Puerto Rico General Services Administration), in partnership with Silicon Valley GovTech company Glass, tackled fragmented procurement data by using an AI-powered system developed and deployed by Glass to standardize and classify catalog information at scale. The system processes items in approximately 0.8 seconds with 99.2% accuracy while maintaining human oversight for edge cases. It is the kind of foundational infrastructure work that helps government procurement operate more effectively and makes better decision-making possible across the system.

AI for the Public

California Office of Data and Innovation & California Department of Social Services

Data-Driven Benefits Fraud Detection

California's public benefits program faced a critical challenge between 2021 and 2024, losing nearly $347 million to cash-benefit theft with losses peaking at $20 million in a single month. In response, a joint California team engineered a dynamic data pipeline that fundamentally changed how the state accesses and utilizes transaction data. This infrastructure empowered the team to test new anti-theft strategies and experiment with advanced tools, including a machine-learning model to detect and prevent fraud more effectively. Operating alongside other state mitigation efforts, the data visibility created by this pipeline contributed to an 83% reduction in fraud. The result is stronger program integrity, millions of dollars in savings, and reliable protection for vulnerable Californians.

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AI for the Government Workforce

New Mexico Health Care Authority

Intelligent Document Processing Initiative

New Mexico transformed a Medicaid mailroom process that handled roughly 170,000 paper claims each year. By automating document classification and data extraction while routing more complex cases to human reviewers, the agency now processes approximately 60% of claims straight through the system. The remaining claims can be reviewed and paid in about two days rather than 30. The project returned an estimated 17,000 staff hours to employees, equivalent to roughly 7.5 full-time positions.

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Most Creative AI Use Case

Yolo County District Attorney's Office with ADAPPT Lab and Computational Policy Lab 

Race-Blind Charging Tool

The ADAPPT Lab and Computational Policy Lab developed an AI-powered tool for the District Attorney's Office in Yolo County, California that automatically removes race-related information from police reports before prosecutors review a case. The project explores how AI can support more consistent charging decisions by ensuring prosecutors focus on the facts most relevant to the case. The team also open-sourced the tool, allowing other jurisdictions to learn from it, adapt it, and build upon the work.

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Rising AI Pilot

Colorado Department of Labor and Employment with Stanford RegLab

AI-Assisted Unemployment Adjudication Pilot

Colorado, in partnership with Stanford RegLab, developed a tool that helps unemployment adjudicators identify relevant follow-up questions during fact-finding reviews, one of the most complex and labor-intensive processes within unemployment insurance systems. What distinguished the project was its commitment to evidence and evaluation. The joint government-academic team conducted a randomized controlled trial using real adjudicators and historical cases and published its findings so others across government could learn from the results.

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Honorable Mentions

The submissions we received from these government agencies and their vendor partners underscore the true breadth and depth of innovation taking place in government agencies across the country.   

NYC Department of Homeless Services, NYC Children's Cabinet, & NYC Public Schools 

Every Child and Family is Known in NYC

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Maryland Department of Human Services and Maryland Benefits with Nava PBC 

DocumentAI

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New Jersey Innovation Authority 

New Jersey Call Center Modernization

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Learning From One Another

The projects recognized this year span procurement, benefits administration, healthcare operations, criminal justice, and workforce systems. Together, they demonstrate the breadth of AI innovation already underway across government. 

Every one of these efforts began with a problem to solve, an idea worth testing, or a process that needed improvement. What makes them especially valuable is the willingness of these teams to share what they learned so others can benefit.

We are also grateful to The Rockefeller Foundation for supporting this work.

All award winners and honorable mentions are featured in Center for Civic Futures' AI Knowledge Hub, where government leaders can explore detailed examples of AI in practice and learn from peers tackling similar challenges.

Government is figuring out AI in real time. These teams are helping show what responsible adoption looks like in practice and creating a stronger foundation for the field to build on together.

For more information on AI in Action Awards and other CCF projects, please contact us at info@centerforcivicfutures.org.