(WASHINGTON, DC) – The Bowser Administration and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) are continuing their dedicated focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) with a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the MIT Governance Lab (MIT GOV/LAB) and the Stanford Digital Economy Lab (Stanford DEL). Washington, DC will be the first city in the country to utilize a new AI tool from these two partners, deliberation.io, which facilitates large-scale, open dialogues between residents to strengthen collective decision-making.
“AI presents a powerful opportunity to modernize how we deliver services and solve problems across our government,” said Stephen N. Miller, the Chief Technology Officer for Washington, DC. “We’re harnessing our DC AI values and our commitment to progress by using this technology responsibly to build a government that is more efficient, effective, and responsive to the needs of all residents.”
OCTO will pilot deliberation.io by using it to gather feedback around the upcoming AI Public Listening Session taking place on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM at 250 M Street SE, Washington, DC 20003.
Residents are invited to learn more about the District’s efforts on AI and hear from DC Government leaders. The tool will allow the District to better solicit public input to ensure a broad range of perspectives, identify common ground, and cultivate solutions that align with the public interest. Pending the results of the pilot, the Bowser Administration plans to make the tool more widely available.
During the pilot, OCTO, Stanford DEL, and MIT GOV/LAB will ensure the topics discussed are pertinent to the local context of Washington, DC and represent the full range of concerns in the District’s population; collect data and conduct an analysis; and share a report upon completion of the pilot.
Over this past year, the District has been steadily moving forward on its commitment to using AI to improve city services, increase efficiency, better manage and analyze data, and create a more effective and inclusive government. In February 2024, Mayor Bowser signed Mayor’s Order 2024-028, articulating DC’s AI values, establishing AI Strategic Benchmarks, and unveiling an 18-month strategic plan and AI Taskforce within DC Government to guide how the District uses AI. The order also created an Advisory Group on Artificial Intelligence Values Alignment (AIVA) to engage internal and external stakeholders about the District’s AI Values and emerging and future AI technologies.
To register to attend the AI Public Listening Session, visit s.dc.gov/ai-public-listening-session-july2025.
To access the District’s full AI Strategic Plan, visit techplan.dc.gov/aivalues.
Contact:
Laura-Celine Patrick (OCTO) – (202) 913-3525; [email protected]