Insights
Nava Labs
Open Source Summit: AI Futures
Nava Labs and Nava’s Open Source Program Office invite you to a full-day convening of visionary government, industry, academic, and nonprofit leaders.
Nava Labs Demo Day: Form‑Filling Assistant pilot results
See what we learned piloting an agentic GenAI tool to help caseworkers in California complete application forms across multiple benefit programs.
How to adapt agentic AI for caseworkers
Four design guidelines to adapt agentic AI-powered tools for caseworkers: transparency, oversight prompts, intervention controls, and plain language.
Nava Labs Demo Day: Prototyping voice AI (and more) for caseworkers
See our latest prototype: a voice AI tool to reduce caseworker documentation burden. Plus, other work in progress from Nava Labs.
How to scope and define human-centered agentic AI tools
Nava Labs shares the decisions that come before implementing agentic AI: what problem to choose, how to scope the agent, and how to evaluate.
Nava Labs Demo Day: How to Design Impact Evaluations for Government AI Tools
We’ll share a practical, methods-oriented guide to designing impact evaluations for AI systems in public benefits programs, drawing from three pilots.
Nava Labs Demo Day: Referral Generator Pilot Results
See the results from our pilot of an AI-powered tool that helps Goodwill case managers connect clients with a range of health and social services.
Nava Labs shares open source Caseworker Empowerment Toolkit
Nava Labs is releasing a suite of rigorously tested, open source, AI-powered tools to help caseworkers connect families with public benefits.
5 reasons to use participant advisory councils to test AI‑powered tools
Participant advisory councils foster dialogue between designers and caseworkers, ensuring AI tools are trustworthy and effective in real life.
Nava Labs Demo Day: Prototyping Maryland SNAP Work Reporting
See our early research and prototypes for a solution to help Maryland automate H.R. 1 work requirement verification.
Helping Goodwill case managers connect clients with tailored resource referrals
Nava Labs recently piloted a GenAI-powered Referral Generator that helps case managers quickly find and share the right resources with clients.
4 takeaways from George Washington University’s Open Source Conference
Open source is infrastructure, community is the real product, AI models are key, and the business case still requires champions.
Nava Labs Demo Day: Piloting a Form-Filling Assistant
See what we’re learning as we pilot a Form-Filling Assistant that helps caseworkers complete application forms across multiple benefit programs.
Evaluating a GenAI-powered assistive chatbot for caseworkers
Rigorously tested AI-powered tools can meaningfully improve benefit navigation accuracy, particularly for newer staff.
New year, new challenges: A turning point for GenAI in government
2026 brings urgency as policies are changing fast, agencies are under pressure, and teams are putting generative AI to the test.
Nava Labs Demo Day: Developing a Referral Generator for Case Managers
See how Nava Labs is prototyping and piloting an AI tool to help Goodwill case managers connect clients with health and social services.
Nava Labs Demo Day: Developing a Form-Filling Assistant
See how our prototype Form-Filling Assistant uses GenAI “agents” to help caseworkers complete application forms across multiple benefit programs.
Nava Labs awarded grant to help streamline SNAP and Medicaid
With this grant from Center for Civic Futures, we’ll pilot AI tools with states to help modernize and automate community engagement verification.
Building a trustworthy AI chatbot
Nava Labs is prototyping and piloting an AI chatbot for caseworkers to use when helping families find and enroll in public benefit programs.
Nava Labs Demo Day: Pilot Results from an Assistive Chatbot
See results from the Los Angeles pilot of Nava’s AI-powered chatbot that assists caseworkers connecting families with public benefits.
5 takeaways from Nava Labs' site visit to California
The Nava Labs team visited Family Resource Centers in Riverside County, California to conduct field research and meet with key partners.
Learning how caseworkers use our AI-powered chatbot
5 reasons caseworkers use it — and 5 barriers that slow or stop use
Nava Labs to pilot AI-powered referral tool with Goodwills in Texas and Pennsylvania
Nava Labs will partner with Goodwill case managers to test and pilot an AI-powered referral tool to connect clients with health and social services.
Nava Labs receives Google.org grant to further AI tools with Imagine LA and Riverside County
As part of Google.org’s Gen AI cohort, Nava Labs will build generative AI-powered agents that complete benefit applications with caseworker oversight.
Building integrated government systems with AI
Public servants should orchestrate an interplay between AI, previously-siloed systems and workflows, and public needs.
Introducing our pilot with Imagine LA: testing an AI chatbot for navigating public benefits
Building on Imagine LA’s 18-plus years of providing direct social services, we're piloting an AI-powered chatbot for benefit navigators.
How to make your content AI‑readable
Learn practical tips for selecting file formats and structuring content so that it’s easy for AI to “read.”
Nava Labs awarded grant to pilot tools powered by generative AI
This grant from the Gates Foundation will enable Nava Labs to test and refine new tools with partner benefit agencies and navigators.
National WIC Association receives USDA funding to modernize WIC Management Information Systems
This four-year cooperative agreement is part of larger effort to streamline and innovate WIC technology.
Refining an AI chatbot that cites its sources
We tried 3 approaches to providing an AI-powered chatbot with source data, aiming to better assist staff who connect people with public benefits.
Nava selected as finalist for Robin Hood AI Poverty Challenge award
We’ll use the funding to pilot an AI-enabled chatbot that may help benefit navigators like caseworkers connect families with critical public services.
How to determine whether AI is an appropriate solution for public sector challenges
We provide a checklist of items to help your team determine whether AI-powered tools are appropriate to meet your needs.
Experimenting with AI-powered tools in public benefits
Our Nava Labs team conducted a series of experiments to test how AI can increase access to public benefits.
Conducting user research to jumpstart human-centered experimentation with artificial intelligence
Our insights are helping us identify use cases and design experiments to test how AI-powered tools can expand access to public benefits.
Measuring administrative burden to promote equity in government services
Don Moynihan of Georgetown University joins Nava CEO and co-founder Rohan Bhobe in a conversation about administrative burden.
Helping families access public benefits with AI and automation
Join us for a panel discussion about the future of AI in government and a light lunch.
Nava and Benefits Data Trust partner to explore how AI can support public benefit navigators
Nava and BDT will explore how generative AI can support benefit navigators to quickly enroll people in government benefit programs.
How to implement a WIC participant recertification portal
Learn methods to provide a human-centered experience for participants to recertify for their WIC benefits.
WIC Participant Recertification Portal Demo Day 2
During this demo day, we will share a demonstration of the participant recertification portal and staff review portal.
How to build a participant advisory council
Learn how to bolster your user research and design more effective services by forming a participant advisory council.
Designing an eligibility screener tool for Montana WIC
Nava worked with Montana’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) agency to help ease the enrollment process.
Designing an API prototype for Montana WIC
Nava worked with the state of Montana’s WIC agency to build an API prototype, helping ease data management and informing a national API standard.
How our work with Montana WIC demonstrated the value of a national API standard
A national API standard can help fuel modernization to improve the WIC experience for staff, participants, and applicants.
WIC Participant Recertification Portal Demo Day 1
Nava envisions a future where digital tools make it easier for families to receive benefits through WIC
WIC Demonstration Day Three
Nava PBC and the state of Montana will host our third webinar to share progress and learnings of our demonstration project.
Nava receives grant from Schmidt Futures for the Expanded Benefits Access Initiative
Schmidt Futures has announced Nava as a grantee of the Expanded Benefits Access Initiative to modernize the social safety net.
WIC Demonstration Day Two
Nava PBC and the state of Montana will host our second webinar to share progress and learnings of our demonstration project.
Office Hours - WIC Technology for a better WIC experience
Learn how Montana is using human-centered design and technology to make WIC more accessible, and how you could apply that to upcoming grant funding.
WIC Demonstration Day One
Nava and the state of Montana will host our first webinar to share progress and learnings of our demonstration project.
Unlocking technology for WIC with the state of Montana
Nava, with the support of Schmidt Futures and technical assistance from the WIC program in Montana, is unlocking modernization for Montana WIC.
How APIs can help WIC better meet staff and participants’ needs
An API standard would unlock digital tools and catalyze WIC's ability to evolve and grow.
Power your mission: How to set goals
Before you start, you should define what program outcomes you want your technology product to help you achieve.
Power your mission: How to build technology
Learn our guiding principles for managing a human-centered technology build, like setting your project up for success or using a modular approach.
Power your mission: How to engage users and iterate
Rather than building your product based on assumptions of what users want, engage users throughout the building process to truly meet their needs.
Power your mission: How to measure success
Measuring implementation helps determine whether your technology product can achieve your desired outcomes.
