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Today, artificial intelligence is an inescapable tide, with its rapid rise to prominence being equal parts fascinating and alarming. While AI takes the world by storm, Schar School of Policy and Government associate professor Alan Shark already navigates those choppy waters. As one of the early adopters of the responsible use of AI in the classroom at George Mason University, Shark preaches a calm and practical viewpoint in his technology policy classes and in his work with local government leaders.
“AI is probably as transformative as the internet being available to the public: It's that significant,” said Shark, whose tech policy expertise and position as a prestigious fellow at the National Academy of Public Administration (NAPA) has connected him with leaders at all levels of government. “When you understand the basics of AI you realize that AI, when coupled with reliable, certified good data (which is critical), is excellent at finding anomalies, patterns, and trends. It can be used in cybersecurity, can be used in public policy, and can be used in better decision-making.”
As a NAPA fellow, Shark makes a point to work directly with local and state governments. NAPA encourages its fellows to use their experience in public administration to pay it forward, helping administrators and government officials when they can. Through his nonprofit, the Public Technology Institute, Shark consults directly with local governments, providing his expertise at the level where fresh technology can most directly have a positive impact on local communities.
“Alan’s talks are all about how to run an efficient government IT organization and how to structure yourself to take advantage of the technologies that are out there,” said Scott Conn, Chief Information Officer of the city of Mesa, Arizona, and alumnus of Shark’s Certified Government CIO program. “Rather than just keeping the lights on, he was always pushing us to be entrepreneurial.”
Shark’s strategies work: in 2024 the city of Mesa was named the No.5 digital city in the U.S., an achievement that Conn attributes to the vision he shares with Shark–one of emotional intelligence, fearless innovation, and forward-thinking leadership. Mesa continues to improve their technology integration at all levels, with projects like streamlined web-based business license applications, direct reporting of potholes and road obstructions using cellular GPS, and gesture-based citizen feedback at polling kiosks outside of city hall.
“None of those developments happen unless people like Alan Shark are pushing leaders to experiment with this stuff; you’ve got to try and create an impression,” Conn said. “He says be smart, be strategic, but also be innovative. Don't be afraid to take a chance.”
In places like Mesa, AI has the potential to facilitate innovation where resources are thin. While generative AI like ChatGPT has been criticized for ethical or substantive failings, Shark notes that these AI systems are ‘open systems,’ which are often unclear as to where they obtain the data necessary to train their model, and obtuse as to how they handle the user’s own data.
Instead, Shark cites ‘closed systems’ as the type of AI that state and local governments are already putting into place: systems like chatbots that rigorously control what data the AI can access.
“When it comes to chatbots, those are sitting on closed systems,” Shark said. “That's already happening throughout the country, there's an explosion of interest and use. A lot of these chatbots are sitting atop data deposits that they have been given specific access to and not a centimeter more, so that one can feel much better about sharing personally identifiable information under the right circumstances."
Another positive benefit AI brings is in the improvement of machine translation, where AI is used to translate for diverse local communities.
“Every local government serves multiple language speakers,” Shark said. “The ability to communicate multilingually brings people in and provides information that they may not have otherwise. This consequently can help build a greater sense of community.”
In response to the rapidly advancing field, Shark wrote Artificial Intelligence—A Primer for State and Local Governments: Everything You Need to Know Since Yesterday, a foundational text for policy professionals looking to get a grip on how to utilize AI. With assistance from generative AI like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, and Perplexity, Shark used the tools themselves to build outlines, brainstorm, and aid in the creative process. While the words themselves are Shark’s, AI’s potential is on display.
“"It is like a true, personal creative assistant, to help you think without penalty,” said Shark. “It's not going to call you stupid. We as humans are still in charge and it's up to us to accept whatever it is the AI shows us, to be something that we either choose or not to use.”
Shark brings his expertise in AI to his teaching in George Mason’s Technology Policy concentration, a collaborative degree between the Schar School and the School of Computing, in which applied computer science students gain a grasp of the policy implications and regulatory landscape surrounding emerging technologies. Shark was an early adopter of AI in the classroom, when alarmism was the knee jerk response.
“I took the other approach; I encourage AI,” said Shark on his use of AI in the classroom. “I have a policy in my syllabus that says: You should feel free to use AI, and you should experiment. But know that this can help you work but should not replace the work that is due from you.”
In his classroom and elsewhere, Shark continues to look forward to the rapidly evolving tech field.
“I think 2025 in particular will be the year of the voice,” said Shark, who cites AI models that can read tone in a person’s voice. These voice-trained AI models could be used to facilitate a more responsive local government, dynamically redirecting requests toward the appropriate resources. “We have always said if we have better data, we can make better decisions. I think AI will give us the power to make even better decisions based on better data and better data interpretations.”