New resource provides a flexible framework, stage-by-stage guidance, and practical tools to help emergency management organizations assess readiness, evaluate AI use cases, and move from exploration to responsible adoption
Today, the AI for Disasters + Emergencies (AIDE) Initiative, led by the Markle Foundation in collaboration with Aspen Digital and RAND, released the “Practitioner Playbook for AI Readiness and Adoption,” a hands-on resource to help emergency managers and their partners evaluate and adopt AI solutions responsibly.
The Playbook is intended to support emergency managers as they face more frequent, costly, and complex disasters. Drawing on prior AIDE Initiative research published in the AIDE Report, and leading public-sector technology guidance, the Playbook provides a flexible framework to build readiness for and adopt AI solutions that meet emergency managers’ needs. It offers practical tools for assessing readiness, evaluating the benefits and risks of AI solutions, and putting appropriate guardrails in place, while retaining human judgment and expertise throughout the process.
“This Playbook reflects AIDE’s commitment to giving emergency managers practical, actionable resources they can use as they identify ways AI can support their work,” said Jeremy Greenberg, Senior Advisor at Aspen Digital.
“We’re excited to share this resource as part of AIDE’s broader work to support the field through research, pilots, and continued cross-sector collaboration,” said Jenna Peters, Executive Project Director of the Markle Foundation’s AIDE Initiative.
Rather than recommending specific AI products or prescribing adoption timelines, the Playbook provides a flexible structure that government and civic organizations can apply based on their own missions, risks, and capabilities. Organizations can enter the framework wherever they are in their AI journey, whether they are establishing basic policies and governance, considering their first AI use case, or testing a potential solution.
How to Use the AIDE Practitioner Playbook
The Playbook is organized around two complementary tracks that organizations can use independently or together. Recommendations are organized by stages within each track.
| READINESS TRACK Actions organizations can take, and periodically revisit, to establish the foundations for responsible AI use. Readiness stages include: Prepare: Understand current AI use, improve capacity for responsible decisions about AI, and establish guardrails Scan: Identify promising use cases, understand benefits and risks, and build staff literacy | USE CASE TRACK Actions organizations can take each time they evaluate and potentially adopt a specific AI solution. Use case stages include: Plan: Evaluate an AI solution prior to adopting it Commit: Establish ownership, align resources, and define responsible use Exercise: Test and refine a solution in a real but limited operational setting before expanding use Expand: Scale what works based on demonstrated value Integrate: Embed an AI solution as standard practice |
Throughout the framework, the Playbook provides best practice checklists and examples. It also includes worksheets to assess use case and data readiness and facilitate decision-making. Practitioners can use these tools to evaluate readiness, assess risk, conduct due diligence, and manage AI solutions over time.
The Playbook is designed to evolve alongside technology and the emergency management field. The AIDE Initiative will update the resource and integrate additional tools based on lessons from its cross-sector alliance, capacity-building pilots, ongoing research, and feedback from practitioners putting the framework into practice.
Download the Playbook
The Practitioner Playbook for AI Readiness and Adoption is available at: https://www.aideinitiative.org/playbook/
About the AIDE Initiative:
The AI for Disasters + Emergencies (AIDE) Initiative is a data-driven, multi-sector, nonpartisan effort led by the Markle Foundation in collaboration with Aspen Digital, a program of the Aspen Institute, and RAND. AIDE brings together leaders from emergency management, technology, government, business, academia, volunteer organizations, and community groups across the country to identify the ways artificial intelligence can help communities better prepare for, respond to, and recover from natural disasters. Through research, expert engagement, education, and pilot initiatives, AIDE is working to help emergency managers better understand where AI can create value, strengthen decision-making, and improve outcomes for the people and communities they serve.
