Canadian Government Executive - Volume 27 - Issue 03

May/June 2021 // Canadian Government Executive / 15 Sponsored Content PERSPECTIVE The power of partnerships Another important lesson is what be- comes possible when the public sector works closely with technology partners to craft advanced solutions to address some of the most complex use cases. In April 2020, as the COVID-19 pan- demic hit a crest in its first wave, the City of Toronto needed to ensure it was taking every step possible to get vital public health information to the roughly 3 million people living in the city. In re- sponse to the rapidly changing nature of the pandemic, the City - in partnership with Google Cloud - built and deployed a scalable, stable, sustainable and acces- sible AI-powered chatbot in less than two months. Marco Palermo, the City of Toronto’s Director of Digital Government & Modernization, said the chatbot has been “a great complementary channel to help connect our residents with the informa- tion they need” as the City considers how to leverage AI moving forward. Helping solve for what comes next This is the sort of partnership that can now drive the next stage of digitization as the public sector helps people and businesses recover from the economic havoc of the pandemic. “To continue innovating, the public sector needs a cloud partner who can provide the best infrastructure capa- bilities, industry solutions, as well as the necessary mindset required to drive that change,” said Mike Daniels at the intro- duction of Google Cloud’s Public Sector Summit 5 in December. Google Cloud has a long and suc- cessful track record helping partners in the public sector solve for some of the toughest challenges. Last year, as hundreds of thousands of Rhode Islanders lost their jobs, the state partnered with Google Cloud and the tech-for-social-impact non- profit Research Improving People’s Lives (RIPL) to build a Virtual Career Center 6 , which gave Rhode Islanders remote access to resources to support job searches. “Through this public-private partner- ship with Google Cloud and RIPL, Rhode Island is leading the way in using tech- nology to connect our workforce with pathways to great jobs,” former Rhode Island Governor, now U.S. Commerce Secretary, Gina Raimondo said at the time of the Virtual Career Center’s an- nouncement. Wisconsin will also use Google Cloud technology to help the state’s residents access an array of training resources, job market data, and career counseling. In its own $2.9-million project, Wisconsin’s virtual career center is designed to sup- port economic recovery by reskilling residents for jobs that match current economic landscape and employer re- quirements. 7 In Illinois, Google Cloud helped the state‘s Department of Employment Security use AI to rapidly deploy virtual agents to help more than 1 million resi- dents file unemployment claims. 8 In about a month, Google Cloud and its partners in the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology had a system running that allows for virtual agents to handle as many as 140,000 emails and calls per day. The Illinois initiative has been nomi- nated for a 2021 StateScoop 50 award, recognizing intra-agency technology that embraces innovation at the state level 9 . Confronted by crisis, the public sector in Canada proved it can respond quickly and effectively to meet the needs of the citizens who rely on vital services for health, education, well-being, and the continued operation of commerce. Google Cloud has been a proud partner of many projects that helped govern- ments maintain continuity during diffi- cult times. As we look ahead to recovery and ad- justment to the “next normal,” Google Cloud is dedicated to partnering with governments maintaining momentum and building a more responsive, trans- parent, and people-centric public sec- tor. If last year taught us anything, it’s to expect the unexpected. The future will bring complex challenges. Google Cloud is your partner to help solve them. References 1. GC Talent Reserve, Government of Canada 2. Information for Government of Canada employees: Coronavirus disease (COVID-19), Government of Canada 3. Ontario Onwards: Action Plan, 2020, Government of Ontario 4. Embracing digital: is COVID-19 the catalyst for lasting change?, 2021, Ernst & Young Global Limited 5. Public Sector Summit Event, Google Cloud 6. Rhode Island to Launch Virtual Career Center Powered by Google Cloud as Part of ‘Back to Work RI’ Initiative, Google Cloud 7. Wisconsin to Launch Virtual Career Center Built on Google Cloud, 2021, Department of Workforce Development 8. State of Illinois: Using AI to help residents im- pacted by COVID-19 receive unemployment benefits, Google Cloud 9. StateScoop 50 Awards 2021, StateScoop Franco Amalfi is the Strategic Business Executive for Google Cloud. In this capacity, Franco is responsible for the go to market strategy for the Public Sector. He is focused on advising governments to effectively use modern cloud based solutions and emerging technologies to help accelerate digital transformations. In addition to working with customers, Franco authors and publishes white papers and articles on leveraging technology to drive busi- ness value for governments. He is also a frequent speaker at government conferences. He is a graduate of McGill University in Montreal, Canada and has completed an advanced certificate for executives in Management, Innovation, and Technology at the MIT Sloan School of Management. “Despite the challenges and hardships of 2020,” said Mike Daniels, VP of Global Public Sector for Google Cloud, “governments have embraced this crisis as a moment of real change, a crucible for rapid innovation and progress.”