They Said It Would Cost $54 Million. We Said “No Thanks.”
Summary
Alberta’s PRISM initiative replaced two aging legacy government systems with AI-assisted development, delivering both systems for about $2.64M—roughly 95% cheaper than the proposed $54M—while enabling real-time data access and rapid user feedback. The piece highlights AI’s role in accelerating development, prototyping, and empowering public servants to build solutions in a secure government environment.