How AI Can Help Government Teams Do Their Best Work

Government teams are being asked to do more than ever, often without the additional staff or resources needed to keep pace.

At the 2026 Forerunner Summit, co-founder and CEO JT White discussed a challenge familiar to local governments: managing growing compliance requirements, aging infrastructure, and rising resident expectations with limited resources. Meeting these demands requires finding ways to build capacity without losing the institutional knowledge and expertise that make effective public service possible.

The problem is not a lack of software

Most agencies already rely on multiple software systems, but those tools do not always reflect how work happens in practice. Information gets lost between field staff and the office, updates depend on manual handoffs, and supervisors struggle to maintain visibility across programs.

Closing these gaps requires more than digitizing paper forms. Field staff need access to property histories, maps, and guidance when making decisions, while office teams need reliable information to coordinate work and track progress. Since geography informs everything from floodplain management and stormwater to public works and code enforcement, that context should be integrated into workflows from the start.

AI should amplify expertise, not replace it

AI can help government teams preserve institutional knowledge, apply it consistently, and make it accessible wherever work happens. By guiding frontline staff, reducing repetitive administrative tasks, and turning complex information into actionable insights, AI can help agencies make better use of their existing expertise.

Forerunner has applied this approach since 2019, including through automated Elevation Certificate reviews that combine document reading with geospatial data to check submissions for accuracy.

Building trust in these tools is equally important. General-purpose AI may produce confident answers without understanding a property's history, an asset's maintenance record, or the regulations governing a decision. To address this, Forerunner provides AI models with relevant source material, permissions, and context, while allowing people to review outputs. This approach helps make results more accurate and traceable while keeping people in control of decisions.

Modernization should not mean starting over

For agencies with limited resources, replacing existing GIS, permitting, asset management, and document management systems can be impractical. Modernization should instead build on the tools teams already use, allowing agencies to improve workflows without overhauling their entire technology stack or waiting years to see results.

Connecting these systems through a shared system of record helps agencies improve individual workflows while maintaining continuity with existing tools. It also gives leaders a clearer view of backlogs, compliance, and program outcomes, reducing the need to compile information manually from spreadsheets.

As needs evolve, this connected approach allows agencies to expand their use of technology over time. A platform initially adopted for floodplain management, for example, can eventually support stormwater, public works, and code enforcement, as it has for many Forerunner customers.

Looking ahead

Effective technology starts with understanding the people who use it and the challenges they face. At Forerunner, conversations with government teams help shape product development, ensuring that new features address real operational needs.

As agencies face growing demands with limited resources, modernization should create capacity rather than complexity. By connecting information across systems, making institutional knowledge more accessible, and applying AI responsibly, government teams can work more efficiently while strengthening their ability to serve their communities.

Watch the full session from the 2026 Forerunner Summit: