FWD50 has hosted speakers from more than 60 countries, bringing practical lessons and real-world examples from around the globe. In this virtual event, we delivered a lineup of keynotes and workshops that showcased how other governments were tackling the most pressing modernization challenges—and preparing for the widespread changes that advancing technology and shifting geopolitics were forcing upon their societies.
Global Case Studies Agenda
September 15
12:05 PM
Break time!
Time to grab some food. We'll see you back at 1:20pm ET! See More.
2:00 PM
Welcome to the FWD50 Global Case Studies Day!
Join hosts co-hosts Hillary Hartley and Alistair Croll as they kick off the final online event of 2026. See More.
2:05 PM
The Death of Services: When the Best Service is No Service
Public sector reform has long operated from a single assumption: that the role of government is to improve the services it delivers. Processes get streamlined. Public sector reform has traditionally focused on improving what already exists: digitizing services, reducing steps, simplifying forms. But incremental optimization does not address a more fundamental question: Is this service still necessary at all? See More.
Director General - Customer Experience Affairs
Department of Government Enablement, Abu Dhabi
2:35 PM
From Foresight to Practice: Building the Capacity to Think About the Future Inside Government at the Digital Agency of Japan
The Digital Agency was established in 2021 as a central government organization responsible for driving digital transformation across the Japanese government. While individual ministries are responsible for their respective policy areas, the Agency plays a cross-government role in transforming public services, building common digital infrastructure, and strengthening digital capabilities across government. See More.
3:05 PM
From an Administrative Challenge to Supporting International Students in Their Integration in Portugal
Governments worldwide struggle to help newcomers navigate administrative requirements clearly, quickly and confidently. See More.
Innovation Ecosystems Specialist, Innovation Unit (LabX)
State Technological Reform Agency (ARTE)
3:35 PM
Physical AI: Intelligence at the Point of Action
Governments have invested in AI. Most of it lives in dashboards, reports, and interfaces, far from the physical operations it was supposed to improve. This session makes the case for a different approach: intelligence that runs at the point of action, in real time, without depending on the cloud for every decision. See More.
5:20 PM
Yukti: A conversational AI agent for mentorship
Join Apolitical as we interview Arihant Chindalia about Yukti, a bilingual voice AI mentor built by Sustainable Living Lab India to support engineering students across Tamil Nadu. Delivered through Telegram, Yukti walks students through their AI and machine learning projects in Tamil or English, coaching students to build technical skills by engaging them in conversation. See More.
5:50 PM
Working with the first and only Office of AI Policy in the US
Join Ayodele as she talks about the AI evaluation framework that she and her cofounder (Jordan Loewen-Colon) developed when they were Science & Technology Fellows with the Aspen Policy Academy. See More.
6:20 PM
6:35 PM
First user-friendly public tax services in Ukraine: How was it?
The case study on digital transformation of public tax services for sole proprietors, self-employers and small businesses, developed by Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine within Diia ecosystem. See More.
Product Manager, Government Special Delivery - ex Product Owner at Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine
Government of Alberta
7:05 PM
I Travelled the World to Find the Future of Government. Here’s What I Found.
We’re in a moment of reckoning for government.
Across countries, systems, and political cultures, the message is the same: government isn’t working the way it needs to. And the pressure to change is only accelerating.
In Canada, you can feel it. See More.
7:35 PM
Wrapping up stories from across the globe
Join Alistair and Hillary as they wrap up the last day of online content for the year and reflect on 2026. See More.