Boosting Efficiency and Reducing Risk: How AI Is Transforming Public Sector Operations

AI is no longer a distant concept—it’s already here, reshaping how public sector organizations work, manage risk, and serve their communities. In a recent webinar hosted by Evident, three seasoned risk leaders came together to explore how AI is streamlining operations, augmenting decision-making, and empowering public sector teams.

Why AI, Why Now?

Public agencies are under increasing pressure. Budgets are tight. Regulations are evolving. Public scrutiny is growing. And traditional risk management approaches—largely manual, siloed, and reliant on just a few subject matter experts—are struggling to keep up.

That’s where AI comes in. It can reduce administrative burden, automate repetitive tasks, and deliver sharper insights—freeing public sector teams to focus on higher-order work that truly adds value.

“AI is like the calculator was to math,” said Amy Conley, General Manager at the California Intergovernmental Risk Authority (CIRA). “It’s a powerful tool to help with everything from idea generation to document drafting—but it’s still just a tool. Human oversight is essential.”

Real Use Cases Already Making a Difference

From workers’ comp to third-party risk management, AI is already showing up in meaningful ways:

• Document Summarization: Medical records and contracts can span hundreds of pages. AI can condense them into digestible summaries in seconds—saving time and reducing error.
• Predictive Risk Models: Sam Adams, IT Director at Golden State Risk Management Authority (GSRMA), described using AI to predict the likelihood of physical therapy for injured workers. “We can pre-authorize care, reduce delays, and get people back to work faster,” he explained.
• Smart Underwriting Support: At CIRA, AI supports underwriting reviews by analyzing historical risk data. But there’s always a human in the loop—a concept Amy called “HITL”—ensuring nuance and context aren’t lost.

Addressing the Elephant in the Room: Will AI Replace Jobs?

All three panelists agreed: AI isn’t here to replace staff—it’s here to support them.

“Most public agencies are already stretched thin,” Amy noted. “AI can relieve pressure by taking on tedious tasks and giving people back time to focus on strategy, empathy, and creative problem solving.”

Jake Dickman, Risk Control Advisor at GSRMA, added a key reminder: “AI doesn’t inspire us—people do. Let’s use it to harness our humanness, not erase it.”

Getting Started: Tips for Public Agencies

If you’re curious about AI but unsure where to begin, the panelists had some advice:

• Start Small: Use tools like Grammarly for writing support or Fireflies for meeting summaries.
• Embed AI into Existing Tools: Jake recommends the AI assistant in Adobe Acrobat, which lets you “ask” questions of a PDF and instantly locate relevant info.
• Build an AI Use Policy: Sam emphasized the importance of understanding how your data is used and choosing tools that won’t compromise privacy or compliance.

And most importantly—talk to peers. Many AI wins come from learning what other agencies are trying and adopting the strategies that work.

Looking Ahead: Will AI Literacy Be Required?

As AI tools become more embedded in everyday applications, the panelists predicted AI literacy will become increasingly valuable—but maybe not in the way we expect.

“The tools will become easier to use,” Sam explained. “In the future, AI will be more people-literate—we’ll need less technical knowledge and more creative and ethical thinking.”

Bottom Line? AI is transforming public sector operations, and it’s not just hype. It’s already saving time, improving accuracy, and enabling risk teams to do more with less. But success depends on thoughtful implementation, ethical oversight, and—above all—a human-centered approach.