Chief Innovation Officers

Spending several days with chief innovation officers from cities across the country was a reminder that local governments are confronting many of the same emerging questions.

Our discussions included digital rights, artificial intelligence, smart cities, data privacy, and the growing role of technology in public services. At the time, one in four small businesses was reported to be using AI in some part of its business model, and that number was continuing to grow.

For cities, the challenge is not simply keeping pace with technology. Public organizations must decide how to use new tools while protecting residents, maintaining trust, and ensuring that innovation benefits people who may have different levels of access or technical knowledge.

Peer learning is especially valuable in this work. A pilot program in one city can help another city ask better questions. A failed experiment can prevent others from repeating the same mistake. Shared standards can make it easier to address privacy and digital rights before a problem becomes a crisis.

The best innovation officers combine curiosity with discipline. They are willing to test unfamiliar ideas, but they also ask who benefits, what could go wrong, and how success will be measured.

Thank you to Cities Today for creating an outstanding program and to the City of Long Beach for being an excellent host.

The visit also offered a chance to see the Queen Mary, built in the 1930s and larger than the Titanic. History and innovation made an unexpectedly good pairing. Both remind leaders to consider the systems people inherit, the choices made in their design, and what future generations may do with them.