--- title: How Missouri Is Building the Foundations for AI-Enabled Government description: In this episode of The Future Public Servant, State Gov Today’s George Jackson speaks with Tim Marczewski, Director of AI and Innovation for the State of Missouri, in Jefferson City. Their conversation explores how Missouri is connecting individual AI initiatives to a broader approach to improving government operations and service delivery. image: https://www.stategovtoday.com/hubfs/Missouri-thumb.jpg --- [![logo-sgt-white](https://www.stategovtoday.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo-sgt-white.png?width=146&height=146&name=logo-sgt-white.png "logo-sgt-white")](https://stategovtoday.com) - [Episodes](https://www.stategovtoday.com/state-gov-today-blog) - [Events](https://www.stategovtoday.com/events) - [About](https://www.stategovtoday.com/about) - [The Future Public Servant](https://www.stategovtoday.com/the-future-public-servant) - [Episodes](https://www.stategovtoday.com/state-gov-today-blog) - [Events](https://www.stategovtoday.com/events) - [About](https://www.stategovtoday.com/about) - [The Future Public Servant](https://www.stategovtoday.com/the-future-public-servant) Search Search - [CONTACT US](https://www.stategovtoday.com/contact) - [CONTACT US](https://www.stategovtoday.com/contact) Search Search # How Missouri Is Building the Foundations for AI-Enabled Government Share - [mailto:?&subject=How%20Missouri%20Is%20Building%20the%20Foundations%20for%20AI-Enabled%20Government&body=How%20Missouri%20Is%20Building%20the%20Foundations%20for%20AI-Enabled%20Government%0A(https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stategovtoday.com%2Fstate-gov-today-blog%2Fhow-missouri-is-building-the-foundations-for-ai-enabled-government)](mailto:?&subject=How%20Missouri%20Is%20Building%20the%20Foundations%20for%20AI-Enabled%20Government&body=How%20Missouri%20Is%20Building%20the%20Foundations%20for%20AI-Enabled%20Government%0A(https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stategovtoday.com%2Fstate-gov-today-blog%2Fhow-missouri-is-building-the-foundations-for-ai-enabled-government)) - - - Presented by Granicus in partnership with Carahsoft Adopting artificial intelligence across state government takes more than identifying promising tools. It requires an environment where employees can use those tools securely, agencies can build on one another’s work and public servants understand their responsibility for the results. In Missouri, those foundations are taking shape through a combination of governance, practical experimentation and an internal platform designed to support broader adoption. In this episode of The Future Public Servant, State Gov Today’s George Jackson speaks with Tim Marczewski, Director of AI and Innovation for the State of Missouri, in Jefferson City. Their conversation explores how Missouri is connecting individual AI initiatives to a broader approach to improving government operations and service delivery. #### Building the structure for responsible adoption ![Screenshot 2026-10-27 at 5.14.46 PM](https://www.stategovtoday.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Screenshot%202026-10-27%20at%205.14.46%20PM.png?width=450&height=254&name=Screenshot%202026-10-27%20at%205.14.46%20PM.png)Missouri’s early work included establishing a state AI policy and convening task forces and steering committees to bring agencies into the process. That governance provides a foundation for an AI and innovation group focused on applying available technology to business problems. For Marczewski, the emphasis is practical: identify where AI can help employees recover time and concentrate on work that requires greater attention, judgment or creativity. Responsible adoption also requires looking beyond the tools themselves. Marczewski describes a framework that encompasses safe use, protection against AI-enabled threats, workforce education and transparency about how government uses the technology. Citizens should be able to understand what AI is doing, what information it uses and how that information is protected. “It's all about transparency and being able to explain how you're using a technology and why,” he says. #### Creating a shared foundation for employees One of Missouri’s most significant efforts is an internal employee portal that connects training, certification, onboarding and access to an enterprise AI platform. Rather than treating those steps as separate activities, the portal brings them together. Employees can prepare to use the technology, demonstrate their understanding and move into an environment with security controls and approved connections to workplace systems. Marczewski describes the enterprise platform as operating in a FedRAMP-compliant environment, with approved connectors to systems such as Microsoft 365 and email. At the time of the interview, the state was rolling out access in waves, with a goal of completing the full rollout by January. The effort also builds internal expertise. Missouri is developing much of the portal internally, working with partners while employees learn how to build, maintain and integrate the platform. ![20261014\_130123(0)](https://www.stategovtoday.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20261014_130123(0).jpg?width=450&height=253&name=20261014_130123(0).jpg)That makes the initiative more than a way to distribute tools. It creates a foundation for ongoing AI use while developing the skills needed to sustain it. #### Reusing workflows and guardrails across agencies As agencies test AI applications, Missouri is also examining which elements can support other government functions. Sometimes that means sharing code or algorithms. In other cases, the most useful components are the workflow, processing pipeline and governance surrounding an application. Marczewski points to adjudication as an example. Reviewing one type of benefit application may involve different information and requirements from reviewing an agricultural grant. The same code may not transfer directly, but the process for assisting a reviewer—and the safeguards around that process—may still apply. Human control is central to that approach. The AI assistant supports the person responsible for the decision, helping review information consistently while leaving final judgment with a public servant. This creates an opportunity to carry lessons from one use case into another, including how to structure oversight and define the responsibilities of the employee using the system. #### Measuring value through time and service A project involving approximately 3,000 handwritten beef and dairy grant applications illustrates the potential operational benefit. According to Marczewski, an AI assistant helped reviewers work through the applications in approximately 70 hours, compared with more than 1,000 hours the process otherwise would have required. People reviewed the applications at each stage. That example provides a measurable return in staff time. But Marczewski says government also needs to evaluate outcomes that are harder to express in dollars. ![20261014\_125923](https://www.stategovtoday.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20261014_125923.jpg?width=450&height=253&name=20261014_125923.jpg)Those measures include whether people receive benefits on time, how quickly questions are resolved and whether citizens are satisfied with their interactions. For conversational tools, the state can examine whether a question was answered without a transfer to a live employee and whether the person found the answer useful. The right measures depend on the service. Understanding that value requires involvement from the employees who know the business process, alongside the technologists implementing the tools. #### Making government easier to navigate Missouri is exploring how AI could help citizens find information, complete processes and receive updates through familiar communication channels. Marczewski describes possibilities that extend beyond a chatbot on a website. Conversational assistance could reach people through text messages, telephone interactions or other channels they already use. He also discusses the potential for clearer application status updates, comparing the experience to tracking a pizza order. The objective is to help people understand where their request stands without repeatedly calling an agency. Missouri’s current website assistant primarily helps users find information and navigate to the appropriate resources. Future capabilities under consideration include deeper agency-specific assistance and help completing forms. The Department of Social Services is also exploring automated intake and verification. These efforts remain areas of experimentation and development. Public feedback helps identify gaps, refine answers and determine when a person should be directed to an employee. #### Modernizing while services continue ![20261014\_124336](https://www.stategovtoday.com/hs-fs/hubfs/20261014_124336.jpg?width=450&height=799&name=20261014_124336.jpg)AI adoption must also account for the systems government already operates. Marczewski emphasizes that essential services need to continue during modernization. AI can potentially help teams interpret legacy code, understand existing applications and design more modern architectures. It may also help connect older systems with newer applications, acting as a translation layer between technologies. That allows agencies to consider multiple paths: modernize an application, improve how it connects to other systems or retain useful functionality while making it more accessible. The appropriate choice depends on the system and the service it supports. #### Preparing employees for everyday use Workforce preparation is another essential part of Missouri’s approach—and one that has required adjustment. Early pilots helped small groups develop expertise and created networks of champions who could share practical experiences with colleagues. Larger training sessions proved less effective for teaching employees how to apply AI to their own responsibilities. Missouri is moving toward training tailored to individual business and functional areas, alongside one-on-one instruction, online learning and seminars. That training addresses more than operating a tool. Employees need to understand what information they can enter, how to check outputs and what responsibility they retain for the work. Across the portal, shared workflows and workforce development, Missouri’s approach connects AI experimentation with the capabilities needed for sustained use. The goal is to equip public servants to work more effectively while maintaining security, accountability and attention to the people government serves. *This interview is part of The Future Public Servant, a State Gov Today series presented by Granicus in partnership with Carahsoft. Through conversations with state government leaders across the country, the series explores how artificial intelligence is changing the way government works—from the infrastructure and governance needed to support responsible adoption to the skills public servants need to improve services and prepare for the future.* [![logo-sgt-1080x1080](https://www.stategovtoday.com/hs-fs/hubfs/logo-sgt-1080x1080.png?width=150&height=150&name=logo-sgt-1080x1080.png "logo-sgt-1080x1080")](https://stategovtoday.com) [Newsletter Signup](https://www.stategovtoday.com/newsletter-signup) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.stategovtoday.com/privacy-policy)   Copyright © Fed Gov Today, LLC 2026. 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