SymSoft Solutions had the privilege of presenting at Sitecore Symposium 2025 in Orlando, where we shared our transformative work with CAL FIRE in front of marketing leaders, technologists, and digital innovators. Our session, “No playing with fire: How CAL FIRE transformed emergency communication with Sitecore” showcased how California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection upgraded its digital presence to meet the demands of emergency response in an increasingly challenging wildfire season.
Beyond sharing our success story, the symposium unveiled groundbreaking innovations with significant implications for California’s public sector. Here are three key takeaways that every digital leader in government would benefit from understanding.
1. The Launch of SitecoreAI: Agentic Intelligence for the Public Sector
Sitecore unveiled SitecoreAI, a next-generation digital experience platform that positions artificial intelligence at the center of digital marketing and content delivery. Built on the foundation of Sitecore XM Cloud, this composable SaaS platform introduces the Agentic Studio, a collaborative workspace where marketers and AI work together through 20 AI-powered agents that automate workflows from campaign planning to content migration, production, and testing.
Why the California Public Sector Should Care
While the private sector focuses on “marketing,” government agencies confront parallel challenges in constituent communication, public information management, and service delivery. California is already leading the nation in the responsible deployment of AI for government services, as evidenced by Governor Newsom’s GenAI initiatives. SitecoreAI’s agentic intelligence addresses the actual operational needs of government agencies:
Content Operations & Public Information:
- Legislative and policy updates: When regulations change, AI agents can help identify all affected pages across your site, draft updates based on official documents, and flag content requiring human review, transforming a weeks-long manual process into days.
- Emergency content deployment: During wildfires, public health emergencies, or natural disasters, AI agents can rapidly deploy pre-approved content templates, update incident information across multiple pages, and ensure consistent messaging.
- Multilingual content at scale: California serves constituents in dozens of languages. AI agents can accelerate translation workflows while ensuring culturally appropriate terminology, though human review remains essential for accuracy and nuance.
- Content migration: Moving from legacy systems to modern platforms typically requires months of manual work. AI agents can automate much of this heavy lifting.
- Routine updates: AI can handle repetitive tasks like updating contact information, office hours, or program deadlines across multiple pages.
- Improved search results: AI-powered search that understands intent (e.g., “apply for assistance” vs “eligibility requirements”)
2. Moving Beyond the Website: Content Discovery in the Age of AI Summaries
CEO Eric Stine emphasized a fundamental shift: “We’re living in the world beyond the website. Discovery is no longer driven by search; it’s powered by attention. Brands earn that attention in social media feeds and AI-generated summaries when they show up in the right moment with the right message.”
Californians are increasingly finding government information through AI-powered search summaries, voice assistants, and social media rather than directly navigating to agency websites. This shift has massive implications for how public sector organizations deliver critical information.
At SymSoft, we’re already helping California agencies prepare for this multi-channel reality by building a platform-agnostic, API-first content infrastructure that’s optimized for AI discoverability, while maintaining the accuracy and accountability that government requires.
3. The “Fans First” Philosophy: Eliminating Friction in Government Services
Keynote speaker Jesse Cole of the Savannah Bananas brought his “Fans First” philosophy to the symposium, emphasizing that every moment of friction, from sign-up to service, is an opportunity for your audience to walk away. Sitecore’s product vision centers on eliminating these friction points to build trust and loyalty.
Government services have historically been synonymous with frustration: confusing forms, broken links during emergencies, information buried in PDFs, and websites that don’t work on mobile devices. But it doesn’t have to be this way.
The “Fans First” philosophy translates directly to “Constituents First” for government:
- Every additional click to find wildfire evacuation information is a potential life-safety issue.
- Every confusing form reduces participation in critical benefit programs.
- Every broken link during an emergency erodes trust in government.
- Every accessibility barrier excludes vulnerable Californians who need services most.
Our recent work with Cal FIRE and other state agencies exemplifies this principle. We unify fragmented information across multiple sites, enhance search functionality, incorporate engaging visuals, and optimize an interactive map relied upon by millions of users during critical events to eliminate friction in delivering government services.
The SymSoft’s take
The innovations unveiled at Sitecore Symposium 2025 extend far beyond marketing automation and content management. They represent a fundamental shift in how governments can engage and serve their constituents in a GenAI-first world.
At SymSoft, we’ve spent nearly two decades helping California’s public sector stay ahead of emerging technologies and evolving citizen needs. Today, we’re partnering with agencies such as CDTFA, CAL FIRE, and DWR to deliver essential information through AI-powered summaries and voice assistants, extending service delivery far beyond the traditional website homepage.
Whether your agency is navigating a legacy CMS, planning a major digital modernization, or seeking to understand how Sitecore’s latest innovations can advance your mission, our team is ready to help.