The agentic era is here, and the public sector is at the forefront of leading this transformation.
At Google Cloud Next ’26, it was clear that academia and public sector organizations are no longer just exploring the possibilities of AI; they are actively scaling it across their organizations to drive tangible mission impact. From the main stage to the show floor, we featured over 40+ inspiring public sector customers and partner speakers who shared how AI and agents are empowering their workforces, unlocking new levels of productivity, and transforming how services are delivered.
Let’s take a closer look at the public sector sessions and activations that brought the agentic era to life at Google Cloud Next ’26.
The blueprint for agentic transformation
We were honored to bring together some of the brightest minds in government, technology, and public service to share how they are shaping the future of public service. During a spotlight session on “Agentic transformation in the public sector”, we heard from Karen Dahut, CEO of Google Public Sector alongside Ted Ross, CIO, City of Los Angeles, Jeremy Walsh, Chief AI Officer, The U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Pavan Pidugu, Chief Digital and Information Officer, The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). These leaders shared their blueprints for scaling AI and agents across their organizations to boost productivity, drive impact and advance their missions. As these leaders demonstrated, successfully scaling AI and agents means being willing to disrupt the status quo, treating agents as force multipliers, and driving human-centered adoption that transforms everyday workflows. You can catch the full spotlight session here and a brief recap of the session here.
