Infogov Hot Seat

Episode 100 of InfoGov Hot Seat Live. Host Jim Merrifield and co-host Leigh Zidwick talk AI adoption in law firms with Donna O'Leary (Head of AI, New Code Ireland) and Zach Abramowitz (Founder, Killer Whale Strategies).
In this episode:
* Why "AI literacy" is replacing "AI training" — and what most firms got wrong the first time
* The GPS/Waze analogy for how lawyers should (and shouldn't) trust AI
* EU AI Act Article 4 and what it actually requires from law firms
* Why security certifications (like ISO 9001) should come before you fall in love with a tool
* Building a firm's "legal brain" — memory, institutional knowledge, and bespoke AI
* Norm AI, Manifest OS, and whether AI-native firms are real competition for Big Law
* The gap between AI ambition and organizational readiness
* Information governance's role in the AI data explosion — shadow repositories, metadata, and cleanup
Guests:
Donna O'Leary — Head of AI, New Code Ireland
Zach Abramowitz — Founder, Killer Whale Strategies, host of "Legally Disrupted"
Sponsors: New Code AI, ILTA, NetDocuments
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In this live episode of the InfoGov Hot Seat recorded straight from the ARMA Federal Summit in Reston, Virginia, host Jim Merrifield sits down with Wesley Callahan, Senior Account Executive at Hyland Software.
With over 30 years of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) experience in the federal space, Wesley breaks down why the massive shift toward Artificial Intelligence (AI) and agentic processing requires organizations to look backward at how they manage data, information, and records. If you think data is all you need to train AI models, this episode will challenge your strategy.
Content is the Foundation: Why you cannot successfully implement government AI models without a clear view of where your content is stored, how long you keep it, and what you do with it.

The Value Equation: Breaking down Jim’s ultimate formula: $\text{Data} + \text{Information} + \text{Records} = \text{Value}$.

FOIA Integration Challenges: Why siloed repositories and disconnected workflows slow down FOIA officers and record managers.

Content as a Strategic Asset: Shifting the perspective of a record from "something you just have to deal with" to a critical, ubiquitous enterprise asset.

A Fun Fact: Get to know the man behind the software—from growing up on a Kansas ranch to living with two Labradors in a tight NYC apartment!

Learn more about Hyland Software: Hyland.com

In this live episode of the InfoGov Hot Seat, host Jim Merrifield (Chief Data Officer, Robinson+Cole) sits down with Will Talbot, Manager of Enterprise Sales at Laserfiche, direct from the ARMA Federal Summit in Reston, Virginia.
With over 12 years of experience in records and information management, Will dives deep into the biggest challenge facing federal records officers today: overcoming user resistance and making compliance seamless. He shares how Artificial Intelligence (AI) is completely transforming the Information Governance (IG) landscape—shifting the burden away from manual metadata entry and towards powerful, natural language automation.
The Evolution of Laserfiche: From translating microfiche to laser discs 50 years ago to pioneering modern, paperless cloud enterprise content management (ECM).

AI as an IG Game Changer: How generative AI and intelligent software agents allow users to manage, classify, and audit millions of records effortlessly using natural language commands.

Streamlining Compliance & Transparency: Overcoming the risk of "shelfware" by prioritizing user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) to boost organizational adoption.

The Value Formula: A look at how combining Data + Information + Records ultimately equals core business value.

“The easier you can make it for people to manage their records, the more likely they are to actually do it and maintain compliance.” — Will Talbot
Learn more about Laserfiche: Laserfiche Official Website

In this episode of the InfoGov Hot Seat, host Jim Merrifield sits down with John Beglan from Tungsten Automation live at the ARMA Federal Summit in Reston, Virginia.
John discusses how Tungsten Automation (formerly known as Kofax) is tackling the unique challenges faced by the federal government, focusing on driving efficiencies through intelligent capture, case management, and records management. They dive deep into the buzz surrounding agentic AI, the realities of government infrastructure, and why the path forward requires a shared data foundation between industry and the public sector. John also shares a key piece of advice for federal records officers looking to prepare for the future of AI.
Targeted Focus: Rather than trying to "boil the ocean," focus on specific mandates and proven use cases like case, grant, and records management.

The AI Gap: While "agentic AI" is a popular buzzword, the federal government faces constraints in skills, infrastructure, and sustained funding before widespread adoption can take off.

Aging Infrastructure: Approximately 70% of federal IT systems in the country are 10 to 30+ years old, creating a massive hurdle for modern AI readiness.

A Collaborative Solution: Success will require clear standards, strong data foundations, and open collaboration between industry experts and government agencies.

John Beglan – Sales Director, Tungsten Automation

Website: Tungsten Automation

In this live episode of the InfoGov Hot Seat from ARMA’s Federal Summit, host Jim Merrifield sits down with Kon Leong, CEO and Co-founder of ZL Technologies.
With over 26 years of experience managing petabytes of unstructured data for Fortune 100 companies, Kon shares his unique perspectives on how the rapid rise of generative AI is changing the landscape of data governance.
Highlights from this episode include:
A Personal Look: Kon discusses his interest in Wabi-Sabi, the Japanese philosophy of embracing imperfection, and how it translates to handling the real-world complexities of human data.

Federal vs. Private AI Adoption: An analysis of why the public sector is facing a distinct set of hurdles compared to the private sector when integrating breaking AI technologies.

Unifying the Silos: Why traditional data silos crash and burn under today's massive data volumes, and why a unified platform approach is necessary to satisfy FOIA, NARA, litigation, and privacy regulations.

Key Advice for Federal Records Officers: Kon explains why leaders need to "put on their high beams" and focus on long-term strategy rather than quick-fix point solutions.

To learn more about Kon's work, visit zlti.com.