The 100th Episode Mailbag!

It's our 100th episode! And we're flipping the script: Stephen Goldsmith is the guest, not the host. And he shares stories that completely reframe how cities should think about technology — from a 1970s bot that shattered assumptions about poor people using tech, to why AI alone should never drive government decisions, to the importance of bench marking the status quo. In this episode, you'll learn: How to separate the AI hype from actually helpful AI uses (hint: it starts with a question). Why Goldsmith rejected patronizing attitudes around technology adoption, and proved detractors wrong. The distinction between "residents" and "customers," and how that changes everything about how you budget and design. How to give public servants back time and respect, rather than saddling them with meaningless tasks and paper pushing. Why your old, top-down performance management system is dead and why you need a new, democratized model. Listener Survey: bit.ly/datasmartpod Music credit: Summer-Man by Ketsa About Data-Smart City Solutions Data-Smart City Solutions, housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as a central resource for cities interested in this emerging field. We highlight best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Our research focus is the intersection of government and data, ranging from open data and predictive analytics to civic engagement technology. We seek to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems. To learn more visit us online and follow us on LinkedIn.