California Builds Its Own AI, Showing Safer Path for Government

California built Poppy, an AI assistant used by 2,600 state employees across 66 departments. It runs only on secure, closed networks and uses information exclusively from California government websites. This design blocks major security risks: data theft, manipulation of the AI through false commands, and false answers from unreliable sources. By proving AI can work safely within strict boundaries, California offers other governments a middle ground between banning AI entirely and using commercial tools without safeguards.