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.
Dedicated programming for the public sector
At Next ’26, we expanded our specialized programming and peer to peer engagement opportunities for public sector attendees. We hosted dedicated programming on the sidelines of Next for National Security and Accelerated Research to provide learning and engagement opportunities for our customers across a range of topics including our AI-optimized infrastructure and latest Gemini model and agentic innovations. Through our Partner Summit programming, we shared how we are building the foundation for AI across the public sector through our partner ecosystem.
Hands-on innovation at the Google Public Sector hub
The best way to learn about agentic AI is to experience it firsthand. To that end, we introduced a first of its kind Mission Talks activation at our Main Street Beacon Theater where we hosted 28 sessions with live demonstrations showcasing how agents can be deployed to solve mission-critical challenges. Added to that, at the Google Public Sector Hub on the expo show floor, attendees rolled up their sleeves and created hundreds of agents across a wide range of use cases, underscoring the immense interest and readiness to build with this powerful technology.
Let’s build what’s next
The momentum we saw at Google Cloud Next ’26 is just the beginning. Whether you are looking to scale your use case across the organization, empower your internal champions, or are just getting started, Google Public Sector can help provide a clear path to drive impact and advance your mission. We invite you to keep the momentum going and register for our Best of Next webinar for the public sector where you can catch key public sector highlights from the event. The agentic era is yours to lead – and we can’t wait to build what’s next, together.
