Creating a thriving business climate with agentic AI in public services

Thriving economies are built on the success of their businesses, which in turn rely on strong partnerships with state and local governments. When businesses grow, they create jobs, drive innovation and improve community well-being. 

Navigating government processes, whether for obtaining permits, managing compliance or accessing essential services, is a necessary part of this growth, and it shouldn't be a barrier to success. 

In fact, research consistently shows that streamlined, digital-first processes for business formation and expansion are linked to stronger economic outcomes.

Yet too often, the experience falls short.

This is where Thoughtworks’ Seamless Government Experience (SGX) creates a new standard, leveraging agentic AI in public services to reduce complexity and accelerate progress. In our previous blog, we explored how it supports citizens. Now, we turn our focus to how it empowers businesses.

Breaking down barriers for businesses

For many entrepreneurs, starting or growing a business means facing a tangle of disconnected systems and outdated processes. From the Secretary of State to the Department of Revenue, Labor, licensing boards and local city or county offices, each step requires navigating a different site, set of rules or interface.

Many states have launched “business portals,” but too often these act as mere aggregators of links or lack the deep, transactional integration needed for a truly seamless experience.

SGX changes this. Powered by agentic AI, cloud-native technology and advanced analytics, it transforms the government-to-business journey into a seamless, guided and personalized experience experience. Think of it like TurboTax for business formation and growth. 

Its features include:

• Integrated state and local business portals

   

Recognizing that many critical business interactions occur at the local level, SGX uses a modular, API-driven architecture to enable true transactional integration across state agencies and key city and county systems — a major gap in most existing portals. Its design supports complex, multi-agency coordination.

• Real-time progress tracking

   

In order to tackle uncertainty about application status, SGX introduces a "pizza tracker"-like feature that provides businesses with up-to-date, real-time transparency for every permit, license or compliance request submitted across all government touchpoints.

• AI-powered enhancements

   

Using technology like Google Vertex AI, SGX automates tedious processes like eligibility checks and document reviews. The results are faster approvals and reduced administrative burden for both businesses and government agencies.

The cumulative effect of these features is immense. Businesses save time and resources, enabling them to focus on innovation rather than endless paperwork. Meanwhile, government agencies operate more efficiently, reinforcing public trust and boosting economic activity.

Clearing the air in environmental permitting

SGX also cuts through the complexity of environmental regulation. Businesses often face delays and confusion when seeking permits for activities like air emissions, water discharge, land use or waste management, while the public fights to access clear and accurate environmental data.

SGX steps in to create a streamlined, integrated approach for environmental stewardship through:

• One unified permitting portal

   

Forget juggling multiple scattered systems. SGX provides an all-in-one solution that helps businesses easily identify which permits they need, submit applications electronically and track their status without guesswork.

• Integrated public data hub

   

SGX consolidates essential environmental data (such as air and water quality metrics) into an intuitive platform. This ensures that researchers, policymakers and citizens can access the information they need in an easy-to-understand format, fostering accountability and public engagement.

• Automation and AI assistance

   

From automating permit application reviews to summarizing complex environmental reports for public consumption, SGX delivers AI-powered tools that reduce the workload for agencies and make compliance straightforward for businesses. 

For high-risk decisions, such as complex permit approvals, the system ensures a mandatory "human-in-the-loop" is the final arbiter. This guarantees that AI is used to augment and inform expert judgment — not replace it —, ensuring responsible and trustworthy outcomes.

That way, businesses can get their projects underway more quickly, confident they’ve met compliance standards. The public gains transparency into environmental health indicators in their communities. Meanwhile, agencies save valuable time and resources while advancing their mandate for safeguarding the planet.

The technological engine behind SGX 

How does SGX achieve such a broad impact? It’s all about modern technology coupled with exceptional design principles:

• Cloud-native foundation: SGX is powered by Google Cloud, ensuring its architecture is secure, scalable and compliant with public sector standards like FedRAMP and GovRAMP.

   

• AI and data integration: Our approach to AI and data integration moves beyond simple automation to create agentic systems. Using tools like Google's Vertex AI, these agents function as orchestrators, intelligently selecting and sequencing actions from a diverse portfolio of tools for execution.

   

A prime example of this is a technology where an agent can autonomously interact with another agency's outdated web portal that lacks a modern API. It can log in, navigate menus and transfer information on behalf of a user — a task impossible for traditional, rigid automation. This approach, built on a foundation of government data integration from platforms like BigQuery and Looker, allows SGX to create a "digital adapter" or "cognitive middleware" that effectively breaks data silos in government and unlocks value from previously inaccessible systems. 

• Human-centered design: SGX is designed with end users in mind, creating intuitive workflows that meet the needs of businesses, agencies and citizens alike.

   

• Responsible by default: SGX is built on a framework of responsible innovation, embedding ethical guardrails and radical transparency into its core architecture. This commitment to fairness and accountability ensures it delivers not just a more efficient government, but a more trustworthy one.

   

• Flexible and modular architecture: Whether for a single agency or an entire state, SGX’s modular system adapts to meet the unique challenges of any locality, enabling incremental rollouts or large-scale transformations.

Why SGX matters today

The combination of streamlined processes, cutting-edge technology and people-centric design makes SGX a vital solution amid today’s challenges. 

For governments pursuing public sector digital transformation, it doesn’t just address inefficiencies — it unlocks new opportunities. From enabling easier market entry for businesses to advancing environmental management, SGX helps deliver services that drive real-world impact.

Are you ready to unlock growth and sustainability with SGX? Contact Thoughtworks today to see how you can build services that empower businesses, protect the planet and support thriving communities.