AI + GovFeeds: A Smarter Future for Public Communications

The Rising Role of AI in Public Communication

Public information officers (PIOs) and government communicators are under constant pressure: they must get timely, accurate information out to their communities while ensuring it’s accessible, understandable, and trustworthy. That challenge has only grown in an environment where misinformation spreads faster than official updates.

At the same time, generative AI tools like ChatGPT are becoming ubiquitous. These tools can draft press releases, outline talking points, or brainstorm event messaging in seconds. For communicators strapped for time and resources, the appeal is obvious. But the open question is: how do we make use of these tools safely, and in a way that supports—not undermines—public trust?

GovFeeds + AI: A Practical Example

GovFeeds is already a powerful platform for scanning, analyzing, and learning from public communications across local governments. Pairing it with AI unlocks new possibilities.

For example, suppose a county communications officer is preparing a campaign around a fall festival. By searching GovFeeds for the term “festival,” the officer can instantly see a word cloud highlighting the most common terms and themes other governments are emphasizing — words like “safety,” “traffic,” “vendors,” “volunteers,” and “family-friendly.”

That visualization could then be dropped into an AI tool like ChatGPT with a prompt such as: “Based on this word cloud of how local governments discuss festivals, create a checklist of considerations for a festival communications plan.”Within seconds, the officer has a structured list covering everything from parking maps and ADA accessibility to emergency weather contingencies and vendor logistics.

This doesn’t replace professional judgment, but it does act as an idea generator — sparking conversations within a communications team and ensuring no critical details get overlooked.

Lessons From Training: AI in the Field Already

This is not hypothetical. At a recent FEMA PIO Level 2 training, participants were already using ChatGPT to draft press conference remarks on the spot. That’s how fast the adoption curve is moving: what was experimental six months ago is quickly becoming standard practice.

But here’s the flip side: without guardrails, public officials risk putting sensitive or internal information into open, web-based tools where they lose control over the data. In moments of crisis — such as natural disasters, mass casualty events, or public health emergencies — speed matters, but so does security. A leak of draft remarks, unverified facts, or internal planning could cause real harm.

The Opportunity: Faster, Smarter, Safer

PIOs are often the first and most trusted source during an emergency. Their words shape public behavior and can directly affect safety outcomes. Yet they’re also expected to operate at lightning speed. AI can help meet that demand, but only if implemented in a secure, controlled way.

As we look ahead, we are working to bring AI directly into GovFeeds — either as a sandboxed cloud integration or even as a desktop component that keeps data local. Such an approach would let officials tap the speed and creative power of generative AI while ensuring no sensitive information leaves their environment. It would also create a safer alternative to the ad hoc, “haphazard” use of public AI tools that many officials are already experimenting with.

Secure AI integration with GovFeeds could support PIOs in several ways:

• Rapid Drafting: Generating first drafts of press releases, social posts, or briefing notes in seconds.

• Message Consistency: Comparing local statements with regional or national messaging to flag gaps or inconsistencies.

• Audience Tailoring: Suggesting ways to adapt messaging for different platforms, from formal press conferences to casual community Facebook pages.

• Crisis Playbooks: Offering quick reminders of standard procedures and best practices during fast-moving emergencies.

The key is not to replace human expertise, but to augment it. AI can handle the first pass; human communicators provide the judgment, nuance, and local context.

Building Trust Through Innovation

By pairing GovFeeds’ insights with AI tools today, communicators can work smarter and faster, surfacing ideas that strengthen their messaging. And by advocating for secure, purpose-built integrations tomorrow, they can ensure those benefits come without sacrificing control, privacy, or trust.

In the end, technology is only as effective as the trust behind it. Local officials who embrace both innovation and responsibility will be best positioned to cut through the noise, guide their communities, and uphold the credibility that public service demands.

📌 How to Try This Today

You don’t need a built-in integration to start experimenting with AI + GovFeeds. Here’s a quick, safe way to test the workflow yourself:

1. Search GovFeeds

   • Enter a keyword relevant to your upcoming communication (e.g., festival, snowstorm, public safety).

2. Generate a Word Cloud

   • Use GovFeeds’ tools to create a visualization of the most common terms and themes other governments emphasize around that topic.

3. Export or Screenshot the Word Cloud

   • Save the image to your desktop.

4. Drop It Into ChatGPT (or another AI tool)

   • Use a simple prompt like:
     “Here’s a word cloud showing how local governments talk about [topic]. Create a checklist of key considerations for communications planning on this topic.”

5. Refine & Apply

   • Review the AI’s output with your team. Use it as a brainstorming aid, not a final product. Adjust the checklist to fit your community’s needs.

⚠️ Tip: Never paste sensitive or internal information into public AI tools. Keep the input limited to public, non-sensitive data (like a GovFeeds word cloud).