What Illinois' State CIO Taught Me About Scaling AI Responsibly

This month, I sat down with Brandon Ragle, State Chief Information Officer and Secretary of the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology, for the AI in Chicago podcast. Brandon leads more than 1,800 technologists, oversees a technology portfolio exceeding $1 billion, and delivers IT services to 36 executive branch agencies serving 13 million residents.

The conversation reinforced something I keep seeing across sectors: the organizations getting AI right aren't the ones moving fastest — they're the ones building the strongest foundations.

From Corrections Officer to State CIO

Brandon's path to the CIO office wasn't conventional. He started as a correctional officer in the early 1990s, heard about this emerging thing called the Internet, went back to school, and landed his first role as an entry-level application developer in 2002. Three decades later, he leads one of the largest public-sector IT operations in the country.

What struck me was his observation about the shift from small-shop developer to enterprise leader: "When you go from serving one or two customers to serving 13 million residents, it's a total game changer. It's not about the technology anymore — it's about how you plan, how you manage change, and what governance you have in place."

That insight applies to every organization grappling with AI adoption today.

Foundations Before Features

When I asked Brandon what advice he'd give a CIO just starting their AI journey, he didn't mention tools or vendors. He talked about foundations:

Identity and access management. Who are you, what can you access, what data can you reach? Brandon called this the single most important capability state government must get right for AI.

Data governance. Decades of legacy data across state agencies creates pockets of risk. You need to know what you have before you let AI near it.

Cybersecurity posture. AI hasn't changed the need for cybersecurity — it has magnified every existing weakness. If your foundations have gaps, AI will expose them.

His message was clear: "This isn't going away tomorrow. Have those foundations in place, because what we do today will affect the people who come behind us."

Illinois's AI Playbook So Far

Illinois has been methodical. Here's the progression Brandon outlined:

Statewide AI policy published in April 2025, developed collaboratively across client agencies.

Literacy and training programs rolled out to all state employees covering AI fundamentals and responsible use.

Productivity tools deployed — a Copilot Chat instance hardened by security, legal, and data privacy teams and made available to all state users with an Outlook license.

Targeted use cases in production — high-reward, low-risk applications like scanning legislation and helping caseworkers research policies faster.

Hiring the state's first-ever Chief AI Officer to sustain and scale the program, expected in Q1 2026.

This is a governance-first, crawl-walk-run approach — and it's working.

AI Hasn't Replaced Anyone. It's Changed How They Think.

One of the most human moments in the conversation was Brandon describing a senior non-IT leader who had resisted AI for months. Then, one day, that leader came to him and said: "Oh my gosh, where has this been my life?"

Brandon compared it to the first time someone used a smartphone to check movie times instead of driving to the theater. That lightbulb moment is happening across state government right now.

On workforce impact, Brandon was direct: there is no intent to replace people. AI is a tool to make people more efficient. But it does require a shift — from repetitive execution to analytical thinking and problem-solving. His HR team is already revisiting job descriptions to emphasize skills like analytical thinking over rote technical requirements.

The Overrated AI Trend? "It Will Solve My Problem Today."

When I asked Brandon what makes him roll his eyes, he didn't hesitate: "It's the 'oh my gosh, it's going to solve my problem today' mentality. It's not magic. There's a process behind it."

His sports analogy stuck with me: there's a difference between chasing quick wins, running a 50-yard dash, and running a marathon. Sustainable AI requires marathon thinking — understanding your people, your processes, and your long-term objectives before reaching for the next shiny tool.

Three Takeaways for Leaders

Whether you lead a state agency, a healthcare system, or a nonprofit, Brandon's principles translate:

Govern first, innovate second. Guardrails aren't obstacles — they're what make responsible scaling possible.

Put AI in people's hands early — but safely. Curiosity and passion drive innovation. Stagnation kills it.

It's not about the technology. Understand the people, understand the process, and build for the long term.

Listen to the full conversation on the AI in Chicago podcast. If your organization is navigating AI governance, reach out — this is exactly the work we do at Techne AI.