Knight Foundation supports Harvard Kennedy School’s Data-Smart City Solutions to launch $3 Million initiative to help American cities harness generative AI
Three-year initiative will place data fellows in Knight cities to improve government decision-making, efficiency and resident engagement.
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation today announced over $3 million to Data-Smart City Solutions, led by Harvard Kennedy School faculty member and former mayor Stephen Goldsmith, to help city governments in 10 Knight communities leverage generative artificial intelligence to improve city services and local civic engagement.
Building on more than a decade of assisting local governments in harnessing data and technology for better decision-making, Data-Smart City Solutions will lead the three-year initiative. The program will provide technical support and foster peer-learning for a cohort of cities: Charlotte, NC; Philadelphia, PA; San Jose, CA; St. Paul, MN; Long Beach, CA; Lexington, KY; Columbia, SC; West Palm Beach, FL; Boulder, CO; and Detroit, MI.
“By helping city staff deepen their understanding of AI and data, we’re supporting local governments in using technology to better serve residents,” said Francesca de Quesada Covey, vice president of community impact at Knight Foundation. “These pilots are about learning — identifying where technology can make services more effective, equitable and accessible, and applying those lessons to shape the next generation of civic tools.”
Three cities — Boulder, Philadelphia and San Jose — will host local data fellows to build capacity and assess risks as they pilot practical AI applications, from implementing AI-powered chatbots for public inquiries to streamlining small business permitting.
“Generative AI can help city governments accomplish more, faster, while expanding access to quality information and strengthening community resilience,” said Goldsmith, Derek Bok Professor of the Practice of Urban Policy at Harvard Kennedy School and former mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana and deputy mayor of New York City. “Through our work supported by Knight Foundation, we will equip cities with the knowledge and networks to use this technology responsibly and inclusively.”
Founded in 2012 by Professor Stephen Goldsmith, Data-Smart City Solutions helps cities use data to drive innovation. The program is housed at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University.
“By placing fellows in city halls and sharing successful tech strategies across our network, city governments nationwide can save time, build trust with residents and generate insights,” said Lilly Weinberg, senior director of community impact at Knight Foundation. “The range of cities in the cohort — across geography and ideology, from midsize markets to major urban centers — will provide valuable learnings for communities across the country.”
About Knight Foundation
We are social investors who support a more effective democracy by funding free expression and journalism, arts and culture in community, research in areas of media and democracy, and the success of American cities and towns where the Knight brothers once published newspapers. Learn more at KF.org.
About Data-Smart City Solutions
Founded in 2012 by Professor Stephen Goldsmith of Harvard Kennedy School, Data-Smart City Solutions is working to catalyze the adoption of data projects on the local government level by serving as the central resource for cities interested in the application of data, innovation, and technology. The Data-Smart program, located at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University, highlights best practices, top innovators, and promising case studies while also connecting leading industry, academic, and government officials. Data-Smart City Solutions seeks to promote the combination of integrated, cross-agency data with community data to better discover and preemptively address civic problems.