Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza inherited a $16.7 billion bill backlog, a credit rating one notch above junk, and a rainy day fund with $48,000. Nine years later: ten credit upgrades, a $2.4 billion rainy day fund, and a payment cycle cut from 210 days to 13.

Now, as she eyes a 2027 Chicago mayoral bid, she sits down with AI in Chicago to talk about what fiscal crisis management teaches us about the AI transition — why labor displacement could trigger the next revenue crisis, why transparency infrastructure is a prerequisite for AI in government, and why Chicago's next mayor needs to be a builder, not a bystander.

In this episode of AI in Chicago, I sit down with Brandon Ragle, Illinois State Chief Information Officer and Secretary of the Illinois Department of Innovation and Technology, to talk about what it really takes to scale AI responsibly in a large public-sector organization.

Brandon leads more than 1,800 technologists, manages a technology portfolio of over 11 billion dollars, and supports 3636 executive branch agencies serving 1313 million Illinois residents. Our conversation explores why strong foundations matter more than speed when adopting AI — from identity and access management to data governance, cybersecurity, workforce readiness, and long-term change management.

We also discuss Illinois’ governance-first AI strategy, the state’s rollout of secure productivity tools, and why Brandon believes AI should enhance people’s work, not replace them. If you’re a leader thinking about AI adoption in government, healthcare, or any complex organization, this episode offers a practical blueprint for doing it right.

In this episode we talk to Harley Johnson, CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park.

Most business leaders have quantum computing filed away in the "maybe in 10–15 years" folder. After sitting down with Harley Johnson, the CEO of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP), for the latest episode of the AI in Chicago Podcast, I'm convinced that timeline needs to be moved up. Significantly.

Timed to the federal CHIPS and Science Act, a group of state and institutional leaders developed a deliberate strategy: take the basic science excellence Illinois had been building for a decade and translate it into economic development. The result is IQMP — a state-backed technology park being built on a former steel mill site on Chicago's South Side, designed to take quantum technology from lab breakthroughs to real-world scale.

Why do Republicans and Democrats live in different factual universes? The answer traces back to 1973 and three conservative staffers who transformed how America makes policy.

Professor E.J. Fagan, author of "The Thinkers," explains how partisan think tanks replaced neutral expertise with competing knowledge regimes—and why smart, educated people are actually easier to fool than everyone else.

In this conversation, we explore:

• Why the Heritage Foundation was founded and how it changed American politics

• How the 2009 stimulus bill demonstrates the cost of ideological capture

• Why it's easier to fool intelligent, motivated people than those who are less informed

• The difference between think tanks in the US versus other democracies

• Why Project 2025 may be less influential than people think

• Organizations like the Niskanen Center and R Street Institute that are getting it right

Professor Fagan argues the solution isn't neutral centrism;' it's politically engaged organizations with epistemic integrity.

As we face decisions about AI deployment, climate adaptation, and economic transformation, we need information infrastructure that serves democracy.

Key insight: "Don't try to take the politics out of information, but try to get it right."

Guest: Professor E.J. Fagan, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois Chicago and author of "The Thinkers: The Rise of Partisan Think Tanks and the Polarization of American Politics" (Oxford University Press)

Michael Edwards has spent 35 years leading downtown organizations across America. In his final months as CEO of the Chicago Loop Alliance, he joins the podcast to discuss downtown narratives in the age of AI with Khullani Abdullahi.

He challenges the dominant narrative about urban decline. The data tells a different story: 1.2 million people visited the Loop for arts and culture in Q4 2025, spending $512 million.

Weekend foot traffic now exceeds pre-pandemic levels. We discuss the shift from office occupancy as the defining metric, why Chicago's arts patrons visit five times more often than the national average, and how 145,000 Loop residents are reshaping the economic calculus of downtown living.

In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping industries, labor markets, and communities at an unprecedented pace, the question of who benefits—and who gets left behind—has never been more urgent.

At the forefront of this challenge stands Karen Freeman-Wilson, President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League, who brings a unique combination of legal expertise, executive experience, and deep community roots to the mission of ensuring AI becomes a force for equity rather than exclusion.

On the latest episode of the AI in Chicago Podcast, I had the privilege of speaking with Elena Vekilov, Chief Privacy Officer and Global General Counsel for Data Security, Product, and AI at NielsenIQ. With responsibility for privacy governance across more than 90 markets, Elena sits at an intersection few executives occupy: where data protection, product innovation, and AI governance collide at a global scale.

Our conversation crystallized an insight that every leader racing to implement AI should absorb: People don't resist technology. They resist ambiguity.

Elena reserves particular passion for redefining legal's role in AI adoption. "If your legal team is known as the Department of No, you're doing something wrong," she states bluntly.

The alternative is embedding legal into the product development process from the start – not as a final rubber stamp but as a navigation tool. "Think of legal not as a roadblock, but as a GPS: helping the organization reach its goals without unexpected detours or collisions."

Illinois just made history. In August 2025, Governor Pritzker signed the Wellness and Oversight for Psychological Resources Act, and the first law in the nation (possibly the world) to regulate AI in mental healthcare.

In this episode, we sit down with State Representative Bob Morgan, Assistant Majority Leader and Floor Whip' within the IL House Chamber, the architect of the Wellness and Oversight for Psychological Resources Act to understand how Illinois moved from concept to law in just nine months, what the legislation actually does (and doesn't do), and why this matters far beyond state borders.

Rep. Morgan brings a unique perspective as both a healthcare attorney with decades of experience and a state legislator navigating the complex intersection of innovation, safety, and regulation. From his work implementing the Affordable Care Act to managing Illinois's Ebola response, he's seen firsthand how technology and healthcare policy collide.

In this conversation, you'll learn:

• What prompted the urgent need for AI mental health regulation
• How the law protects patients without stifling healthcare innovation
• Why licensed professionals can still use AI to augment their practice
• The political dynamics of passing first-in-the-nation tech legislation
• What other states are learning from Illinois's model
• Where AI regulation is headed next
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Whether you're a healthcare provider, tech builder, policy professional, or simply concerned about AI's role in mental health, this conversation offers rare insight into how thoughtful regulation is actually developed.

Guest: Rep. Bob Morgan, Illinois State Representative (58th District), Partner at Benishlaw, former General Counsel for Illinois Department of Public Health

Host: Khullani Abdullahi, Founder of Techne AI

Listen now to understand the policy framework that may shape AI healthcare regulation across America.