Ask Justin Fulcher what’s holding back government modernization, and the answer isn’t budget or ambition. It’s infrastructure built for a world that no longer exists. The technology founder and former Department of Defense advisor has spent years arguing that agencies need to confront outdated systems directly before AI can deliver any real benefit.
A System Built For 1975
Fulcher’s diagnosis is blunt. He has written that core government systems, along with those in healthcare, defense, and infrastructure, still function as though decades haven’t passed. Siloed data, compliance rules designed for paper processes, and outdated software create compound delays that frustrate both employees trying to do their jobs and the citizens waiting on the other end.
That’s the backdrop against which Justin Fulcher discusses artificial intelligence. He doesn’t present it as a silver bullet. Instead, he frames AI as a tool suited to specific, unglamorous tasks: document processing, routine correspondence, scheduling, and compliance checks that consume staff time without demanding much judgment. Handled correctly, automating those tasks frees people to focus on decisions that genuinely require expertise.
Experience From Both Sides
Justin Fulcher’s credibility on this topic comes from having worked inside the systems he critiques. As a senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense, he helped shorten software procurement timelines from years to months, a rare example of institutional reform actually sticking. Earlier in his career, he co-founded RingMD, a telemedicine platform operating across Asia, giving him experience building technology in regulated markets.
He remains clear-eyed about the obstacles ahead. Government agencies face data security requirements, civil service protections, and procurement rules that private companies rarely encounter, and any AI system introduced into that environment has to be auditable and explainable from day one. For Fulcher, closing the infrastructure gap is less about chasing the newest technology and more about disciplined, patient implementation. Read this article for more information.
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