The Spark Behind GovAI Review

In 2021, our founder, Albert Gehami, stepped into the role of Privacy Officer for the City of San Jose, tasked with building the city’s governance of personal information—what we now call “privacy governance.” This wasn’t just about compliance; it was about protecting residents' data, building trust in government technology, and lowering cyber insurance costs.

Then, ChatGPT happened.

Suddenly, AI governance became part of Albert’s job. No extra resources. No extra budget. Just a new, massive responsibility overnight. With time stretched thin, he teamed up with two close friends and soon-to-be co-founders, Fred and Homero, to solve a simple problem: How can we automate privacy governance so there’s actually time left to govern AI?

The result? A small, unnamed app that cut Albert’s time spent on privacy by 90%, freeing him to focus on AI governance.

Scaling Governance for Everyone

At the same time, San Jose helped launch the GovAI Coalition, bringing together 500+ cities, counties, states, and agencies to shape responsible AI in government. This was a huge step forward—but also meant even less time for actual AI governance. So Albert, Fred, and Homero went back to work, this time automating AI governance itself, using everything they had learned from building policies and running the coalition.

That’s when the realization hit: This wasn’t just a San Jose problem.

Most local governments don’t have the resources for a full-time AI officer or privacy officer—but they still need strong policies, responsible AI adoption, and protections for their residents.

So we built GovAI Review, a policy wizard and governance platform designed for governments that want the benefits of a privacy or AI officer, without needing a dedicated staff member.

Where We Are Today

In just our first month of testing, 10 agencies—from Newark to Chicago—are already using GovAI Review to build policies, manage personal data, and adopt AI responsibly.

We’re humbled by the progress our agencies have made with GovAI Review, and we’re just getting started.

At GovAI Review, our mission is simple: Empower local governments to govern AI and data responsibly—no extra resources required.