Civic Tech Chat is a podcast covering policy, politics, technology, and where they overlap.
Joined January 2018
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Hello #CivicTech extraordinaries! We are always on the lookout for stories to share. Are you working on something neat? Have you learned something? Do you have some other civic tech thing to talk about? If so, DM us and let’s see if we can get it on an episode. – at Chicago, IL
If you've ever written a web scraper and thought "there should be an API for this," congratulations. You've built a 19th century hoisting machine.
civictech.chat/episodes/gaug…
In 1853 a train from Buffalo to Cleveland meant changing twice because the tracks didn't match. Erie, PA made a living off it, and fought to keep it.
New episode on rail gauges, data standards, and why nobody wants to move first.
civictech.chat/episodes/gaug…
“You are not in a vacuum.”
Sophia Philip of Nava Labs, for anyone in government working through H.R. 1 or a first AI project:
civictech.chat/episodes/six-…
“Build this thing and don't make any mistakes.”
Laurence Goolsby on the running joke at Nava, and why AI still needs someone at the wheel:
civictech.chat/episodes/six-…
If a state has to gut the house to fit your tool in, it's a hard sell.
Sophia Philip on why Document AI meets states on the infrastructure they already run:
civictech.chat/episodes/six-…
If the system doesn't recognize your document, that's not your fault.
Laurence Goolsby on why Document AI doesn't reject documents it hasn't seen before:
civictech.chat/episodes/six-…
Document AI checks the document. It doesn't decide your case.
Sophia Philip of Nava Labs on why there's no policy coded into it:
civictech.chat/episodes/six-…
Every agency has a Form 105-B6Q.
Laurence Goolsby on teaching Document AI a new form by describing it in plain language:
civictech.chat/episodes/six-…
Not every paycheck comes with a W-2.
Sophia Philip of Nava Labs on why Document AI handles handwritten invoices from gig and informal work:
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A tool that's right most of the time trains people to stop checking.
I asked Laurence Goolsby of Nava Labs how Document AI handles that:
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You meant to upload your W-2. You uploaded your dog.
Sophia Philip & Laurence Goolsby of Nava Labs on catching that before it reaches a caseworker:
civictech.chat/episodes/six-…
The model was 60% confident. It was also right.
Laurence Goolsby of Nava Labs: "Confidence does not mean accuracy."
Full episode:
civictech.chat/episodes/six-…
Sponsored by Nava PBC
When H.R. 1 passed, Nava had six weeks to get Document AI live in Pennsylvania. No architecture yet.
Laurence Goolsby on how they pulled it off:
civictech.chat/episodes/six-…
Sponsored by Nava PBC
Nava had six weeks to help Pennsylvania launch a tool that catches bad document uploads before they reach a caseworker.
It became Document AI, now open source. Sophia Philip & Laurence Goolsby of Nava Labs on how they built it:
civictech.chat/episodes/six-…
Sponsored by Nava PBC
I asked which chapter of their own book they struggle to live up to.
Rebecca Woodbury picked the one on remembering why you do this. She burned out and left a 12 year government career. #PublicService
Full conversation: civictech.chat/episodes/prou…
A consultant recommended golden shovels for a groundbreaking photo op. $1,000 each, about ten of them.
The maintenance crew went to Home Depot, bought regular shovels and a can of gold spray paint. #LocalGov
Full conversation: civictech.chat/episodes/prou…
Luke Fretwell told a vendor: you didn't make that change for the agency, you made it for a million people.
They said they'd never thought about it that way.
Full conversation: civictech.chat/episodes/prou…
#GovTech
Rebecca Woodbury's dad summed up life as: hassle, hassle, hassle, die.
She built a career out of removing a little of the hassle every day. Bleak line, generous job.
Full conversation: civictech.chat/episodes/prou…
#PublicService #CivicTech