Modernizing Government, Responsibly: FOX 5 DC Features Column.us CEO Megan Villanueva to discuss America.gov
By Emmie Atwood
4 Min Read
On September 29, the White House launched America.gov, an AI-powered website intended to help Americans navigate federal information and services through a single portal.
That same day, FOX 5 DC asked Megan Villanueva, CEO of Column.us, to share her perspective on what this new website could mean for citizens, and what the administration's growing engagement with AI industry leaders signals about the future of AI in government.
The conversation focused on a challenge Column.us knows well: how to modernize historically fragmented legacy systems while preserving the safeguards that make them trustworthy. Marina Marraco, FOX 5 DC host, framed the problem plainly: “I don’t know if anyone can really point to any sort of government portal that is efficient, effective, and timely.” The question then is whether AI can actually make that experience better, and how to modernize responsibly when mistakes can have high-stakes consequences.
Column.us modernizes historically complex, inaccessible public-information systems. Our mission is to make public information easier to access without weakening the systems that make it reliable and trustworthy. Modernization can’t just mean applying AI or digital technology for technology’s sake. It has to be rooted in outcomes: What are we trying to achieve? And, more importantly, is this actually in service of the people we’re building it for? Modernization should make complex systems genuinely easier to navigate without sacrificing the safeguards, accountability, and independent checks that make them trustworthy.
With a background in product management, Villanueva brings that same lens to questions about how companies implement new technology across their workflows and products:
What problem are we actually solving?
Who is the system serving?
What are the risks and tradeoffs?
How do we measure whether the outcome is actually better?
America.gov puts AI at the front door of government
America.gov uses artificial intelligence to help Americans navigate federal information and services, promising to turn ‘29,000 websites into one.
An accompanying executive order directs the Administrator of General Services in coordination with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget to establish and operate America.gov as the lone entry point for accessing covered services online.
At the launch, President Trump said that with America.gov, the federal government "no longer stands in your way, and it stands only at your service."
The question: what problem is it solving, and is it actually solving it?
Launching a website like America.gov requires close attention to outcomes, risks, and unintended consequences. Modernizing access to government information “is promising,” Villanueva said, “but it has to be intentional.” The test, as she put it, is whether it actually delivers on that goal: “Is this actually in service of the constituents using it? Is it achieving that goal?”
Words like “accessible,” “efficient,” and “user-friendly” are easy to put in a launch announcement, but harder to define in practice.
Shaped by her experience leading Column.us, Villanueva offered her perspective on Fox 5 DC:
Accessible should mean more than easier to find. It should mean easier for ordinary people to understand and act on.
Efficient should mean a better experience for citizens, not just easier administration for government.
Success shouldn’t be measured by traffic or adoption alone. It should be measured by whether more people can successfully find and use the public information they need.
The stakes are higher when AI enters government
America.gov runs on generative AI, meaning users may still need to verify important information against the government sources it cites. The site also doesn't prominently identify which AI models it uses to answer questions.
Villanueva pointed out that the AI companies themselves are urging caution. "When the actual companies themselves are saying we need to ensure there are safeguards in place as we're developing this over time, we should definitely heed what these tech executives are saying," she said. "When you're actually introducing AI within government, the impact of unintended consequences is much greater."
She also acknowledged the tension driving the administration's AI push: "How can we stay competitive without sacrificing safety?" And she noted that many tech executives "are actually asking for more government regulation," because they recognize both how powerful the technology is and how much is at stake.
The core concerns are accuracy, transparency and accountability. Underneath all three is a further principle: AI should supplement the human systems and independent checks people rely on, not replace them.
What responsible modernization looks like
At Column.us, we’ve had to think carefully about what it means to modernize legacy, high-stakes legal and governmental systems while preserving reliability, transparency, human support, and trust.
That experience points to four practical commitments for any government putting AI between citizens and public information:
Build with users. Test the product with the people it is meant to serve, not just the agencies operating it.
Establish clear safeguards. Be transparent about how answers are generated, where they come from and who is accountable when they're wrong.
Measure real outcomes. Test whether the technology is genuinely improving the citizen experience, not just whether people are using it.
Preserve reliable sources. Keep the official records and independent channels people rely on, rather than assuming a better interface solves everything.
As AI becomes part of how Americans interact with their government, the question shouldn't just be how much faster can we make it? It should also be can people trust what they find, and act on it with confidence?
