Articles
Ideas for a smarter state.
A column at Exame, essays at the World Economic Forum and articles at JOTA on GovTech, AI, DPI and state capacity.
Gustavo Maia writes regularly about the future of the state, with a focus on GovTech, artificial intelligence, digital public infrastructure (DPI) and the transition from reactive to proactive government. His work has appeared in the World Economic Forum, Exame and JOTA, and informs his book Zero-Click Government.
The pieces below explore how data, AI and DPI are reshaping public services, public procurement and state capacity — in Brazil and across emerging economies.
Reboot Democracy, by Beth Simone Noveck
Zero-Click Government: A Response from Beth Simone Noveck
Former U.S. Deputy CTO under President Obama and author of the book's afterword, Beth Noveck reflects on the democratic implications of anticipatory governance and argues that participation, accountability and public oversight must be embedded into these systems from the start.
May 2026
Exame
Zero-Click Government: when the State acts without waiting to be asked
Why the next transformation of the State depends less on apps and more on anticipatory decision-making — life events, digital public infrastructure and the redesign of where public action begins.
May 2026
World Economic Forum
Zero-click government: why it's time to rethink when and how the state acts
How DPI and AI let governments act when intervention carries the most impact.
March 2026
Exame
The 9.8 trillion reasons GovTech will reshape governments from 2026
When technology stopped being mere digitization and began truly scaling state capacity.
December 2025
Exame
What if AI ran public procurement?
From contractual chaos to compliance-by-design.
August 2025
Exame
The new era of GovTechs: when government acts before the citizen asks
The next frontier of public technology is proactive and personalized.
May 2025
World Economic Forum
How Brazil uses GovTech and DPI to drive development
Brazil as a global reference for GovTech ecosystems.
April 2025