Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping work across every sector, from healthcare to education and workforce development. At the Coleridge Initiative, we’re harnessing its power to enhance data use and security to solve real-world problems while also addressing AI’s potential risks, especially when it comes to sensitive data. Our tools safely support the sharing, transferring, and exporting of data, while reducing security breaches and other composite risks of data spillage.

The Critical Connection Between Data and AI

As our CEO Ahu Yildirmaz has said, data and AI have a symbiotic relationship. Data fuels AI, and AI, when thoughtfully applied, unlocks the full value of data. High-quality, well-managed data enables AI to deliver insights that are trustworthy and relevant. In turn, AI can make sense of complex data, accelerating discovery and efficiency and revealing patterns that may otherwise remain hidden.

But the connection only works if both sides are supported by expertise and transparency. We know that AI is evolving faster than the quality of the data that feeds it. So AI tools that deliver good results can only happen through investing in clear data, building cross-functional teams that understand both the technology and the policy context, and holding AI to the same rigorous standards as the data it consumes.

Tools that Promote Security and Efficiency

At a time when many AI-supported integrations and platforms are being rushed to market, our approach is to develop AI tools within our FedRAMP-authorized Administrative Data Research Facility (ADRF) environment that uphold our commitment to safe data management. Every AI capability we introduce inside our ADRF is tested, undergoes a formal Third Party Review, and operates in a fully secure, air-gapped environment.

We also design for purpose. The AI tools we build are embedded into research workflows, solving specific challenges our partners face. For example, our Exports AI Assistant uses AI to triage and score export requests inside the ADRF, helping researchers comply with disclosure agreements and guiding them through compliance without slowing their work. Looking ahead, our forthcoming AI-Powered Research Assistant will provide dynamic summaries, code translation, and real-time insights within ADRF, so researchers can get more done in a secure environment.

The Big Picture

For us, AI isn’t about replacing human expertise. It’s about augmenting it. We see AI as a catalyst for better decision-making, helping researchers, policymakers, and agencies focus their resources on interpreting their data and shaping policy more efficiently and securely.

This is why we believe the conversation about AI is bigger than what it can do. It’s about what it should do and how to ensure it does it safely. AI may be the most powerful tool of our generation, but that power alone doesn’t build trust. That comes from careful, principled, security-first innovation.