Colorado Chief Technology Officer David McCurdy wishes he’d had the foresight to invest in bitcoin in the early days. Speaking with Government Technology at the NASCIO conference in Austin earlier this month, he added, “I think we’re all wishing that right now.” Today, one bitcoin is worth more than $5,000.
But despite bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies' reliance on underlying blockchain technology, McCurdy doesn't anticipate a lot of uptick for blockchain in government, at least not yet. Instead, he’s more interested in the potential of artificial intelligence technology, and he’s got a couple of use cases in mind.
There are two areas in particular where the applications for AI in government are clear to McCurdy – and he’s not alone. Grappling with an ever-growing threat landscape, he sees AI as an important component of the way large organizations like Colorado can effectively secure their data and assets.
In addition, McCurdy acknowledges that AI can help automate responses to frequently asked citizen questions using chatbot technology. “If I can take eighty percent of our tier one calls off of those phones, then I could provide better customer service for the people that do call in,” he said.