AI in government
What does responsible adoption look like?
The questions agencies should ask about AI use cases, public-facing systems, vendors, and implementation.
Media & press
A clear voice on AI
and public institutions.
Available for interviews and background conversations about government AI, data, and the people and institutions responsible for putting technology to work.
Areas of expertise
Beyond the headline.
Public data
When does open data actually help the public?
Data access, definitions, ownership, maintenance, and the work of making information useful.
The public workforce
How is AI changing government work?
The skills, management decisions, and responsibilities behind workplace adoption.
Public accountability
How do we know a technology is helping?
Evaluating results, understanding limitations, and keeping responsibility clear.
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Background & biographies
Short bio
Dylan Hayden is an Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government and a former Enterprise Open Data Team Lead at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. He writes and speaks about AI in government, data governance, and public sector management, drawing on experience in federal and state government. He is the author of The Public Administrator’s Guide to ChatGPT and publishes The Public AI Brief.
Full biography
Dylan Hayden writes and speaks about AI in government, data governance and transparency, and public sector management. He is an Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Institute of Government, where he teaches artificial intelligence and public administration.
Before joining Penn, Dylan served as Enterprise Open Data Team Lead at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). His earlier HUD roles included Data Analytics Team Lead in the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity and work in public housing programs. He also served at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and in New York state government.
Dylan is the author of The Public Administrator’s Guide to ChatGPT (2023). His Cityscape article, “Generative AI: Mining Housing Data With a Higher Powered Shovel,” examines an applied use of generative AI in housing-data analysis. He publishes The Public AI Brief, with commentary on government technology and the organizations that use it.
Through Public Sector AI Strategies LLC, he provides training and advisory support to public institutions. His work focuses on the practical questions behind technology adoption: what a tool is useful for, who is responsible for its use, and how an organization can assess the results.
A U.S. Navy veteran and former Arabic and Pashto linguist, Dylan holds a Doctor of Public Administration from the University of Baltimore and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.
Working on a story?
Email dylan@dylanhayden.com with your outlet, topic, deadline, and preferred interview format.