Applying Boot Camp Lessons to Government AI Adoption

A commentary uses lessons from military boot camp to recommend a measured approach to AI adoption in state and local government. It advises agencies to begin with discovery through surveys and listening sessions, establish guardrails early, and consider how AI fits the work environment before focusing on technology. The author argues that clear governance and training are needed to guide appropriate use.

The October 14, 2026 commentary by Tia Christopher uses her Navy boot camp memories and the movie Top Gun to caution against treating government AI adoption as a race for speed or spectacle. She proposes four stages: learning the workplace, setting boundaries, preparing staff, and adapting over time.

The first stage would gather employee views through questionnaires, listening forums, and talks across departments. Early rules should define allowed uses, forbidden data inputs, human checks, responses to failures, and permitted trials. Training should match each department’s real duties, and later work should track usage, staff attitudes, and points of difficulty.