Photo provided by GovOps.

California’s Government Operations Agency (GovOps) hosted a daylong GenAI Innovator Showcase on Thursday, offering state agencies an opportunity to explore cutting-edge artificial intelligence solutions. The event, led by GovOps Secretary Amy Tong, featured presentations from more than 30 companies. 

State leaders, legislative staff, and other stakeholders gathered to assess AI capabilities and explore potential use cases for improving government operations. Hosted at the new May Lee State Office Complex near downtown Sacramento, the event aimed to foster innovation by showcasing how AI tools can help state departments address future challenges through data analysis, summarization, and predictive insights.

The showcase was not a formal procurement process but served as market research for state leaders to develop problem statements for AI applications in their respective departments. Vendors were allotted 15 minutes to demonstrate their technologies, followed by a 10-minute Q&A session.

Presenters were selected based on proposals submitted to GovOps by September 16th.

“As the birthplace of the tech industry and the fifth largest economy in the world, California isn’t afraid of progress. We’ll deploy every tool to address some of the most vexing issues of our time, including the housing and homelessness crisis. California has the technology and the innovative spirit — let’s put them to use for the public good,” said Governor Newsom in the event’s announcement.

Departments such as the Employment Development Department, the Department of Finance, and California Health and Human Services explored AI’s potential to enhance data analysis, performance, and decision-making processes. From 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, breakout rooms featured discussions on improving workflows, reviewing historical data, and generating predictive reports for better outcomes, among other topics.

More than 60 presentations were held throughout the day, providing state leaders with insights into AI’s capabilities to streamline government functions and boost efficiency.

The event follows a number of initiatives set in motion by Governor Newsom’s executive order on artificial intelligence, released last year. 

In May, the Newsom Administration hosted a summit featuring leaders from government, academia and industry focused on using GenAI to better serve Californians and the state’s workforce.