Thought leadership, policy analysis, and extended reflections from AI in Chicago — conversations with guests and original essays on Illinois' AI economy, governance, and innovation future.
Chicago's own AI roadmap has recommended naming an AI lead since 2024. George Cardenas becomes the first candidate in the 2027 race to answer that gap with an org chart and a hundred-day deadline.
Read conversation →Across 27 countries, the share of coverage each category of AI harm receives varies with the political lean of the outlet reporting it. Northwestern's Nick Diakopoulos on what that means for anyone who treats public discourse as a risk signal, and on the participatory method his lab built as a second input.
Read the story ↗How real operators — a Fortune 500 chief privacy officer, a state CIO, a law-firm AI director — govern AI risk without becoming the 'Department of No.' A practitioner's playbook.
Read the story ↗Most enterprise AI pilots never reach production. The operators who cracked it — at AbbVie, Oracle, and a mission-driven health nonprofit — explain what they did differently.
Read the story ↗Illinois put AI hiring inside its civil rights act instead of passing a standalone AI statute. Jason Rosensweig, Senior Policy Advisor at IDHR, breaks down the architecture of HB 3773 — the notice requirement, disparate impact, and the 'influence or facilitate' reach — and what employers and AI vendors must do now.
Read the story ↗Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza inherited a $16.7 billion bill backlog, a near-junk credit rating, and a rainy-day fund with $48,000. Nine years later: ten credit upgrades and a payment cycle cut from 210 days to 13. She joins AI in Chicago to discuss what fiscal-crisis management teaches us about the AI transition ahead.
Read the story ↗Brandon Ragle, Illinois State CIO and Secretary of the Department of Innovation & Technology, leads 1,800+ technologists serving 13 million residents. His lesson for anyone adopting AI: the organizations getting it right aren't the fastest, they're the ones with the strongest foundations.
Read the story ↗Most business leaders have quantum filed under “maybe in 10-15 years.” After sitting down with Harley Johnson, CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, I'm convinced that timeline needs to move up - significantly.
Read the story ↗America doesn't just have a polarization problem. We have an information problem. Professor E.J. Fagan explains how we arrived at a moment where Republicans and Democrats don't just disagree on solutions—they can't even agree on basic facts.
Read the story ↗In Q4 2025, 1.2 million people came to the Loop for arts and culture, spending $512 million in a single quarter. This is not a downtown in decline—it's a downtown in transformation.
Read the story ↗How a Harvard-educated former mayor is ensuring Black communities aren't left behind in the AI revolution through workforce development, entrepreneurship support, and policy advocacy.
Read the story ↗Elena Vekilov, Chief Privacy Officer and Global General Counsel at NielsenIQ, reveals why enterprise AI adoption stalls—not from fear of technology, but from unclear expectations. She shares how governance enables velocity and why privacy is innovation infrastructure.
Read the story ↗Illinois has chosen to be an Engineering State for Quantum, but remains a Lawyerly State for AI. By pouring capital almost exclusively into experimental quantum physics while neglecting the immediate need for conventional AI infrastructure, Illinois is creating a utility gap.
Read the story ↗A conversation with State Representative Bob Morgan, Assistant Majority Leader and Floor Whip, on Illinois's first-in-the-nation AI mental health law.
Read the story ↗A Conversation With Richard Robbins, Applied AI @ Reed Smith. Richard Robbins, Director of Applied AI at Reed Smith, shares insights on effective and responsible AI adoption at scale, aligned to firm strategy in the legal profession.
Read the story ↗Prenosis CEO Bobby Reddy Jr. shares lessons from developing the first FDA-approved AI tool for sepsis diagnostics and the realities of building healthcare AI.
Read the story ↗Gianne James, Senior Vice President at First Insurance Funding, discusses AI governance, risk management, and the essential human element in financial services AI adoption.
Read the story ↗Cait Moran, Senior Director at Oracle, shares her journey from engineer to enterprise AI leader and insights on building effective AI teams.
Read the story ↗Dr. Heather McCombs-Chait discusses the transformation of traditional medical device companies into AI-powered healthcare innovators.
Read the story ↗William explores the optimistic case for AI as a tool for human flourishing, discussing how thoughtful deployment can enhance rather than diminish human potential.
Read the story ↗Sergio Gutiérrez-Montero of AbbVie shares his pragmatic approach to AI strategy, focusing on real business value rather than technology hype.
Read the story ↗Tim Turner of Thresholds discusses how community-based mental health organizations are thoughtfully adopting AI while prioritizing equity and patient care.
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