Speaker spotlight: AI’s impact on government communication

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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the way we work, connect, and communicate—and government agencies are no exception. In this edition of our new Speaker Spotlight series, we’re thrilled to feature Zack Seipert, Marketing and Communications Specialist for the Central Utah Water Conservancy District, and an expert on AI in the government communications space.

Zack shares his insights on the evolving role of AI in public-sector communications, the balance between efficiency and public trust, and actionable ways to integrate AI into social media workflows. From leveraging AI as a productivity booster to navigating its challenges with transparency and care, this conversation dives into the key considerations for government communicators embracing AI.

Want to hear even more from Zack? Join us at GSMCON2025, where he’s sharing his expertise in our pre-conference, add-on workshop “AI 301: Leveraging AI for Government Social Media Success” that will leave you confident, capable, and ready to tackle the AI frontier. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from top experts in the field—here’s how to register now.

Q: How do you see AI changing the way government agencies connect with the public?

A: This is an interesting question. My two thoughts on this subject are: AI has the potential to be the great equalizer, and AI will drive the desire for more human content.

First, AI has the potential to be the great equalizer. For many public sector or government communications teams, our access to resources rarely stacks up with private sector companies. We often don’t have the staff we need, and can’t afford the tools and technology we desire, and yet the public expects the same level of customer service and experience from their government as they do elsewhere. 

AI now levels the playing field. For roughly $20 a month, we have access to the same AI technology as some of the biggest companies in the world. With this technology, we can now be more productive than ever before. We don’t have to be an expert in copywriting, graphic design, videography, etc. That in and of itself is something that gets me excited. 

On the flip side is the thought that if the web and social media are flooded with AI-generated content then the desire for more human content will arise. People will overlook the polished, perfect AI-generated pixels and desire the human-to-human connection.

I feel that we as government and public sector communicators are uniquely positioned to capitalize on that need and desire for human content. We are arguably closer to those we serve than any other line of work. The more human we are in all that we do, the more the public will trust us and our organizations. 

Q: Why is it important for government agencies to maintain an awareness of AI tools and trends?

A: As the saying goes, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” If there are tools and technologies that can help us improve at our jobs, all the while saving us time, money, and effort. Why wouldn’t you give them a try?

If you find yourself in a leadership position you NEED to be aware of and be moderately literate in this technology. You also need to be aware that those you supervise are almost certainly using this technology. Whether you believe it or not. Create an environment of cautious creativity that enables others to test these tools and learn. 

AI moves FAST! I would be lying to you if I said I myself am caught up on all the major AI developments and releases. There is just no way to stay up on this technology alone. It’s impossible.

That’s why it's so important to have resources, a community, or experts you can turn to and follow to stay on top of this ever-evolving technology.

After attending my session you will be more confident, capable, and prepared to handle whatever the AI tech companies throw at us.

Q: How do you balance the potential benefits of AI with the need for transparency and public trust?

A: I think the answer to this question will be slightly different for each organization. Some communities just seem to inherently have more trust in their local, municipal, or state government than others, but here are some ideas:

• My mother always said, “Don’t do anything that will make others lose their trust in you. It’s nearly impossible to win it back.” (life lesson provided by Tami Seipert) I think the same applies to our government organization and those we serve. You are the communications and social media expert in your organization, if you think that using AI could potentially cause you to lose public trust either don’t use it, or make it extremely obvious that you did. (i.e. stickers or badges stating the content was created by AI)
• Many of the benefits of AI aren’t necessarily associated with its generative capabilities. Some other areas that AI excels in besides generation include: extraction, summarization, rewriting, classification, research, Q&A, etc. AI can help you be a quicker and more efficient version of yourself.
• When in doubt consult with others whom you trust. Your legal team, supervisor, or those you meet at GSM’s trainings and events can help as we all navigate this uncharted AI landscape together.

Q: What’s one area of social media management where AI could save time or resources?

A: This is a great question, and it's difficult to choose just one area that could benefit from AI integration since there are potentially so many! As I have mentioned previously AI is an amplifier and a time saver.

What I would suggest is that you look at your job as a collection of tasks. What tasks do you perform each day? Week? Month? Year?

Then once you have a list of tasks that you perform regularly I would look at that list through the lens of the TRIPS framework from Trust Insights, which helps you see which tasks you could begin to incorporate AI into.

TRIPS of course is an acronym (we in government love our acronyms!) that stands for: 

T - Time: How much time does the task consume? The more time a task consumes, the better a candidate it is to incorporate AI.

R - Repetition: How repetitive is the task? AI excels at repetitive tasks. The more frequently repetitive a task, the better a candidate it is to incorporate AI.

I - Importance: How important is the task? How much risk does the task carry? The more important a task is, the more human review is needed. Tasks that are low-risk or relatively low in importance are great candidates for AI.

P - Pleasantness: How much do you enjoy the task? The less you enjoy a task, the better a candidate to incorporate AI. This is critical for stakeholder buy-in, showing stakeholders they can offload unpleasant tasks is of high emotional value.

S - Sufficient Data: How many existing examples do you have of the task and how it’s supposed to be done? The more examples you have of how the task should be done, the better a candidate it is to incorporate AI. If it’s a template today, AI should do it tomorrow. 

Let’s walk through an example. Let’s say one of your many socialgov tasks is to edit reels for your organization’s Instagram account:

T - Time: Editing a reel generally takes you 1-2 hrs time to complete.
R - Repetition: You generally post 2 reels a week on your organization’s socials.
I - Importance: The level of importance can range based on the topic of the reel.
P - Pleasantness: You really enjoy editing videos, but acknowledge it takes a lot of your time.
S - Sufficient Data: You don’t have a template or data for reels as they are each unique.

This could potentially be a task that you could infuse some AI into. Some tools you could explore include: Premiere Pro, Opus Clip, Canva, etc.

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