
Reboot Democracy Lecture Series
Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI with Ed Bice of Meedan
March 20, 2025, 5:00 PM ET
Beth Simone Noveck is the author of Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy (Yale University Press, 2026). A professor at Northeastern University with appointments in law, engineering, policy, communications and computer science, she directs The Burnes Center for Social Change and The Governance Lab. Her work focuses on “Democratic AI”or how to use AI to strengthen democratic institutions and improve government performance. She previously served in the White House, 10 Downing Street, and advised the German Chancellery, and founded the White House Open Government Initiative. She leads InnovateUS, which supports free public sector learning and its research initiative the Observatory of Public Sector AI, the largest collection of data on the public sector and its use of AI. She created AI for Impact, which designs and deploys open source AI tools to improve public outcomes. In 2026, Beth joined the Australian Resilient Democracy Network as a Global Fellow and the Harvard Kennedy School as a Policy Fellow. Read more about Beth here and by her here.

Read original essays from Beth and other global thought leaders, and get news on democratic AI.
Go to Reboot BlogRead Beth's new book Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy
Learn about the bookCurrent Projects
Her current projects integrate public sector training, product development, civic education, and writing to strengthen democratic institutions in the AI era.
InnovateUS provides no-cost, live and self-paced training in data, digital, innovation, and AI skills for public professionals. Working with government leaders, it designs and delivers skill-based learning that strengthens institutional capacity. In Spring 2026, Beth is moderating the InnovateUS workshop series on Practical Strategies for Buying and Building Public AI
The Observatory draws on anonymized data from more than 150,000 public servants nationwide. By analyzing how public employees learn, use, and adapt AI at work, the Observatory aims to identify which investments in skills and training strengthen government capacity, improve services, and deliver better outcomes for residents.
AI for Impact develops and deploys AI tools for government agencies and civic organizations. Each product addresses a specific operational challenge, from accessing institutional knowledge and improving benefits access to streamlining procurement and public communication. Built in partnership with public institutions, these tools model community-centered AI development. AI for Impact Fellows receive training in curricula Beth has developed, including Public Entrepreneurship and Solving Public Problems.
This course teaches families and community members how to use generative AI to navigate civic needs—such as benefits, government forms, and rights—and to organize collectively to address community challenges. Participants gain practical AI literacy and the skills to evaluate, design, and advocate for tools that serve their communities.
Designed for public professionals globally, this course equips institutions with practical, design-focused methods for consultation, deliberation, and co-creation. The focus is on helping governments listen more effectively and incorporate public input in ways that improve legitimacy and decision-making.
Through the Reboot blog, Beth examines how institutions can move beyond reactive regulation toward proactive design, governance, and deployment of AI in the public interest. Reboot features original essays from global thought leaders and news on democratic AI
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About Beth
Noveck previously served as Deputy Chief Technology Officer in the White House under President Barack Obama, where she led the Open Government Initiative. In that role, she helped design policies and platforms—including data.gov and challenge.gov—that increased transparency, participation, and collaboration in government.
She has since served as a senior advisor on open government, digital transformation and AI to leaders in the United States and internationally, including work with the 10 Downing Street and German Chancellor Merkel’s Digital Council.
In New Jersey, she served as founding Chief Innovation Officer and later as the state’s first Chief AI Strategist, where she led efforts to apply emerging technologies to improve service delivery and public problem-solving.
Noveck founded InnovateUS, philanthropically-funded, evidence-based learning for public professionals by public professionals. InnovateUS delivers at-your-own-pace courses and live workshops for learners in 80 countries and across the United States. Beth is working with Harvard's Allen Lab and global experts in 24 countries to design a new course and coaching tool to teach the practice of effective and efficient democratic engagement.
InnovateUS also studies the impact of upskilling on public sector workers through its research initiative the Observatory of Public Sector AI. The Observatory is the largest collection of data about the public sector and its use of AI. Currently,
She also launched AI for Impact, where Fellows build open source AI products with government partners. AI for Impact builds open source products that strengthen democratic institutions while creating public interest technology jobs for the next generation of problem solver. Read more about how we build AI.
Earlier in her career, Noveck created one of the first platforms for online deliberation known as Unchat and Peer-to-Patent, which connected experts with policymakers to improve public decision-making.
She is the author of multiple books on governance and innovation, including Reboot: AI and the Race to Save Democracy (Yale University Press 2026) and Solving Public Problems (Yale 2021), which was named a Best Book of the Year by Stanford Social Innovation Review, Smart Citizens, Smarter State (Harvard University Press, 2016), Wiki Government (Brookings 2009) and The State of Play: Law, Games and Virtual Worlds (NYU 2006).
In 2026, Beth will be an Australian Resilient Democracy Network Global Fellow and a policy fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation. You can read more by Beth at rebootdemocracy.ai.
Granada, Spain, June 17, 2026
Harvard University, June 11, 2026
Roux Institute, Portland, Maine, June 5, 2026
Edinburgh Futures Festival, June 2, 2026
Tijuana, Baja California, May 28-29, 2026
Washington, DC, May 19, 2026
Elon, North Carolina, April 15, 2026
Featured speaker on AI and philanthropy
From Promise to Practice — AI for Philanthropy (online), April 2, 2026
Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain, March 17, 2026
Willson House, Quebec, Canada, March 5, 2026
Vienna, November 21st, 2025
Belgrade, November 19, 2025
Featured speaker at a gathering of global experts exploring the societal implications of AI, cohosted by RTI and Elon University. RTI International Headquarters, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, September 17, 2025
League of Women Voters, online, September 10, 2025
Featured speaker at the League of Women Voters monthly discussion series, September 10, 2025
A panel discussion about strengthening democracy, July 15, 2025
Brussels, Belgium, July 3, 2025
Offered the keynote address, "Living,Learning and Rebuilding Trust" at the European Public Communications Conference, Brussels, Belgium, July 3, 2025
Princeton University, June 16-17, 2025
Organized the first ever gathering of State AI officials at Princeton University, June 16-17, 2025
May 2, 2025
Keynote speaker at Kean University 2025 Honors Convocation, May 2, 2025
The Attorney General Symposium provides a forum for attorneys general to work on bipartisan initiatives and collaborate with and learn from local, state, and federal partners, Nashville, TN, April 7, 2025
A discussion on policy issues that impact Northeastern University and research commitments. Northeastern University, Boston, MA, March 18, 2025
A panel discussion examining shifts in U.S. foreign policy and international alliances, exploring their implications for multilateralism, global security, and America’s role in tackling global challenges like climate change and emerging technologies. New York, NY, March 6, 2025.
Exploring AI's role in legislative innovation and democracy as part of the Open Dialogue Visiting Fellows series. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, February 4, 2025.
A presentation to over 700 World Bank professionals about AI and the public sector, January 14, 2025.
Moderating a discussion with Mayor San Cheng Chang as part of the Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI Lecture Series to discuss how AI is being used to explore Taoyuan’s current smart infrastructure initiatives and future plans to foster vibrant communities and strengthen democracy through technology, December 5, 2024.
A conversation with institutional leaders with multiple perspectives about the adoption of generative AI and how a Public Interest Technology (PIT) lens can help shape solutions, December 3, 2024.
Project Liberty's convening of the top leaders in technology, policy, finance, and civil society aimed at crafting the digital blueprint for the next four years and the action roadmap to get it done. Washington, D.C., November 22, 2024.
A convening with the National Association of Attorneys General co-hosted by the Burnes Center for Social Change and InnovateUS to train representatives from Attorneys General Offices across the country on how to responsibly use AI in their work. Northeastern's Miami Campus, October 17-18, 2024.
Highlighting the impact and work of InnovateUS, following the announcement of $7 million in Google Public Sector funding to further support public sector AI training. Washington, D.C., October 16, 2024
A convening of the AI leaders from states across the country. Washington D.C., September 26, 2024.
Presenting to AI leaders in State of New York. New York, September 20, 2024.
As part of Northeastern University's AI in Action Week, a presentation designed for students interested in learning about the role of AI in strengthening democracy, enhancing governance, and improving how we solve public problems. Northeastern University, September 19, 2024.
Offering the keynote address at an office wide AI training for the New York Attorney General's Office. New York, September 16, 2024.
Moderates a Rebooting Democracy in the Age of AI lecture with David Lesher of CalMatters, discussing how Digital Democracy is tracking every word spoken in public hearings, every dollar donated to politicians, every bill introduced, every vote cast and more. September 12, 2024
An invitation-only gathering to strengthen and spark new collaborations across the public sector, academia, and civil society to build a public AI ecosystem that benefits the American public. August 14, 2024
The Cooperative Impact Lab's AI for Organizing & Campaigns Hackathons bring together developers, designers, organizers, and campaigners to prototype new ideas using generative AI. New York City, August 8, 2024.
Professor and Burnes Center Director Beth Simone Noveck is a keynote speaker for the International Conference on Digital Government Research. June 12th, 2024
The Ian P. Sharp Lecture brings renowned guests to the University of Toronto to explore the transformative effects of information practice. May 8th, 2024
Princeton University, April 11, 2024
Join Beth Simone Noveck for a lecture on AI, Society and Policy at Alexander Hall Richardson Auditorium and Alexander Hall Tent, Princeton University. April 11, 2024
The AI in Action Week closing plenary session features Audrey Tang, Digital Minister for Taiwan, who will be interviewed by Professor and Burnes Center Director Beth Simone Noveck. April 5th, 2024
National Association of State Workforce Agencies, March 28, 2024
The Burnes Center for Social Change, March 21, 2024
Brooklyn Law School, March 4, 2024
Harvard Kennedy School Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, February 8, 2024
Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, February 28, 2024
The Burnes Center for Social Change, February 15, 2024
United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, January 10, 2024
Northeastern University Office of the Provost, December 7, 2023
The Philadelphia Citizen, November 17, 2023
Boston Global Forum, November 2, 2023
University of Toronto Schwartz Reisman Institute for Technology and Society, November 1, 2023
ASPA National Capital Area Chapter, May 18, 2023
Bloomberg Cities Network, April 27, 2023
The Institute for Experiential AI at Northeastern University, April 25, 2023
National Association of Attorneys General, Apr 17, 2023
CUNY Graduate Center, March 30, 2023
The Burnes Center for Social Change, Jan 24, 2023
The John W. Kluge Center at the Library of Congress, June 2, 2022
SDG Solution Space, May 31, 2022
The Boston Area Research Initiative (BARI), May 6, 2022
TedxNortheasternU, April 30, 2022
Northeastern University CAMD Center for Design, April 29, 2022
BiiG Network, April 27-28, 2022
Roosevelt House, April 8, 2022
IAALS, Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, March 31, 2022
Espacio Público, January 11, 2022
The John Brademas Center of New York University, December 8, 2021
September 1, 2021
July 9, 2021
June 21, 2021
May 19, 2021
European Commission, April 20, 2021
The Cabinet Office, Her Majesty's Government, United Kingdom, April 13, 2021
Fundación ”la Caixa”, April 7, 2021
In many corners, we’ve come to accept the notion that government can’t do new things or solve tough challenges, that it’s too big and slow and bureaucratic. It doesn’t have to be that way, says former public official, now Harvard Business School professor, Mitchell Weiss. The truth is that entrepreneurial spirit and savvy in government can be harnessed to transform the response to big problems at all levels.
Hertie School Centre for Digital Governance, March 23, 2021
ANZSOG Future public sector leaders' series, March 2, 2021
Deb Roy is Professor of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT where he directs the MIT Center for Constructive Communication and is Executive Director of the MIT Media Lab. He leads research in applied machine learning and human-machine interaction with applications in designing systems for learning and constructive dialogue, and for mapping and analyzing large scale media ecosystems.
Bloomberg IBM Roundtable, Feb 25, 2021
Hosted by The City Club of Cleveland, Feb 19, 2021
Join the Future of Democracy Working Group for a conversation between Beth Simone Noveck and Kevin Kosar, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and editor of the new book, Congress Overwhelmed: The Decline in Congressional Capacity and Prospects for Reform.
Join the Future of Democracy Working Group for a timely conversation with Maurice Mitchell, national director of the Working Families Party and a leader in the Movement for Black Lives, and Columbia Lecturer and New America Fellow Hollie Russon Gilman for this conversation about the future of democratic activism and engagement in a time of crisis.
Hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, December 2020
New Technology Responses to Mass, Bot and Fake Comments
Digital Transformation Agency, Australia, November 12, 2020
Join the Future of Democracy Working Group for a conversation with Lee Rainie, Director, Internet Technology and Research, Pew Research Center on October 29, 2020 at 5 pm.
The Future of Democracy Working Group at the Institute for Public Knowledge and The GovLab at NYU Tandon invite you to a conversation between John Gastil and Jonathan E. Collins about the promise and perils of mini-publics.
Richard von Weizsäcker Forum, October 12, 2020
The Future of Democracy Working Group at the Institute for Public Knowledge and The GovLab at NYU Tandon invite you to join a conversation with Ian MacDougall, investigative journalist and author of a series of revealing pieces in ProPublica on McKinsey’s public sector practice, like “How McKinsey Is Making $100 Million (and Counting) Advising on the Government’s Bumbling Coronavirus Response.”
Hosted by AASHTO
Progressives Zentrum, Tech4Society, September 22, 2020.
The Future of Democracy Working Group at the Institute for Public Knowledge and The GovLab at NYU Tandon invite you to a conversation between Ian Bassin and Beth Simone Noveck.
How is COVID-19 reshaping the future of e-Learning and Online Innovation for Universities? Put on by the World Summit on the Information Society
Hosted by the University of Vienna
JFF Horizons 2020 Conference
Digital Government Initiative, New America
The Future of Democracy Working Group at the Institute for Public Knowledge and The GovLab at NYU Tandon invite you to a conversation between Dr. Roslyn Fuller and Prof. Beth Simone Noveck. In this participant-led talk, Dr. Fuller will bring to life her vision of a mass, direct, digital democracy and show how the principles of ancient Athenian direct democracy can be resurrected using digital technology.
This interactive discussion will explore how the United States Congress can use technology to innovate and continue legislative operations during a crisis. Leading reformers will address the constitutional, legal, technological and cultural opportunities and impediments facing the United States Congress during the pandemic and beyond.
Georgia Tech
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. November 2019
LinkedIn Speakers Series
Harvard Book Store, February 12, 2024
Junta de Andalucía, Jan 27, 2022
Stanford Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law, Feb 17, 2022
Canada Revenue Agency, Feb 16, 2022
Dukakis Center, Feb 24-25, 2022
Ditchley Foundation, Feb 24-25, 2022
Northeastern University, March 8, 2022
Northeastern NUFL, March 14, 2022
Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, March 31, 2022
Hunter College, April 8, 2022
Ciudadanía Inteligente, November 9, 2021
States of Change, October 22, 2021
Melbourne School of Government, November 30, 2021
CONSULCon 18, Madrid, Spain. November 2018
Vancouver, BCTechSummit. January 2016
Central European E-Government Summit, Budapest. May 2016
Efficient State Congress, Behöden Spiegel (in German). May 2016
United Nations, Executive Boards of UNDPAINFPA/LINOPS. June 2016
Imperial College. November 2016
November 2016
MIT Media Lab. April 2017
Costa Rica. August 2017
Australia. October 2017
Barcelona. November 2017
Santiago de Chile. January 2018
Society of Chilean Public Policy Researchers, Santiago. January 2018
Geneva Tsinghua Initiative for the Sustainable Development Goals, World Economic Forum, Davos. January 2018
ANZSOG, Melbourne, Austalia (online). March 2018
Cornell Tech. March 2018
Summit for the Americas, Lima, Peru. April 2018
Arizona State University. May 2018
Tallinn E-Governance Conference, Tallinn, Estonia. May 2018
Maurice Blackburn Lawyers Future of Work Forum, Melbourne. July 2018
Monash University. August 2018
NESTA, London, UK. September 2018
The Future of Public Engagement, University of Iceland. September 2018
Metrolab. October 2018
Participation Ciudadana y Cultura de la Transparencia y la Legalidad, Mexico. october 2018
The 9th Annual Berkin-Friedman Forum, Baruch College, New York. October 2018
Evento Retina: Tecnología y Sociedad, El Pais, Madrid, Spain. November 2018
NJ Technology Summit. May 2019
National Association of State CIOs. May 2019
Museum of Modern Art, R&D Salon 31. May 2019
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts. June 2019
NYU Entrepreneurial Institute, New York. September 2019
International Conference on Sustainable Development, Columbia University. September 2019
Barcelona CrowdLaw Conference, Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain. October 2019
How do we design for crowd and istitution collaboration? Hosted by NESTA. London, UK, October 2019
United States House of Representatives, Washington DC. October 2019
Institute of Public Administration of Canada Webinar. November 2019
4th MSF-CSC Social Sector Conference, Singapore. November 2019

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