Digital Public Infrastructure
Neutral, pro bono architecture advice for national DPI programmes: digital identity, payments, data exchange and verifiable credentials. With CDPI's DPI-as-a-Packaged-Solution, deployment takes months instead of years.
AI for the public sector · Digital Public Infrastructure
Building the public rails for the AI era.
I'm Daniel Abadie, Head of Technology & Partnerships at the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure. I help governments design, build and scale the identity, payments and data rails that public services run on, and the AI that now runs on top of them. I also advise private organizations on digital transformation.
- 20
- Most influential people in digital government, Apolitical 2019
- 60+
- Country DPI engagements shared through CDPI
- 1,000
- Government websites merged into argentina.gob.ar
- 30M+
- People using Mi Argentina today, the platform I designed and launched
What I work on
Two decades on one question: how can the state deliver services people actually want to use?
AI for the public sector
Lead author of the DPI-AI Framework. Its core claim is that government AI works best as interoperable blocks on top of strong DPI rails, not as a vertical silo tied to one vendor.
Digital government delivery
Running digital teams like a civic-tech startup inside government: user needs first, in-house teams, open source, and shipping. The principle I keep coming back to: doing beats everything.
The journey
From running a city's call centre to shaping how countries adopt DPI and AI.
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2024 — now
Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure CDPI · IIIT Bangalore
Head of Technology & Partnerships
I lead technical strategy and partnerships that help countries design, implement and scale DPI. That covers neutral architecture advice, DPI-as-a-Packaged-Solution (DaaS), and bringing together governments, open-source communities, private innovators and funders. I joined as Senior Technical Advisor for Latin America and the Caribbean in early 2024.
- DPI-AI Framework
- G20 DPI Roadmap Playbook
- DaaS
- Verifiable credentials
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2023 — 2024
Banco Macro
Digital Transformation Advisor to the CEO
Designed the bank's GovTech division and a citizen app, and built a blockchain wallet for governments to pay social benefits. Also designed the Knowledge Economy division.
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2020 — 2023
Public Digital London · global
Latin America & Caribbean lead
Engagement lead for every Spanish-speaking project. Clients included the IDB, CAF, UNDP and the governments of Belize, Panama, Jamaica, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Buenos Aires City, the State of California and British Columbia, as well as Bloomberg Philanthropies. I wrote the IDB Data Strategy Playbook and built an executive programme in digital transformation for IE University.
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2015 — 2019
Government of Argentina Presidency of the Nation
Undersecretary of Digital Government
Argentina's first Chief Digital Officer. I advised the President on the digital economy and led the 2018 G20 discussion on government transformation. The team ran like a civic-tech startup at the heart of government, and shipped:
- Decree 87/2017: wrote the presidential decree that created the National Public Sector Digital Platform (websites, apps, the procedures guide, SMS, phone and in-person service, social media) and established Mi Argentina as every citizen's digital profile.
- Resolution 139/2018: brought AI virtual assistants into public service. It created the government-wide automated virtual assistance service for citizens and gave my team the mandate to build and coordinate virtual assistants across all national agencies.
- Disposition 24/2019: signed the rule that made github.com/argob the government's official open-source repository and released the code of Mi Argentina, its ID service, the API gateway and the Poncho design system.
- Mi Argentina: the citizen platform and digital wallet, with 3M+ users by 2019 and more than 30M today, holding legally valid ID, the country's first digital driving licence, vehicle papers and vaccination records.
- argentina.gob.ar: 1,000+ websites merged into one domain; 600 editors, 50,000 pages, 127M users in four years.
- Chat Crecer: a virtual assistant for pregnancy and early childhood that increased prenatal check-ups. It won the 2019 Webby Award for Health.
- National Digital Inclusion Plan: 250 trainers taught 400,000+ people and 16,000 small businesses and cooperatives in 160 cities to use the internet.
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2011 · 2015
Mauricio Macri campaigns PRO
Head of Technology, 2015 presidential campaign · Digital team, 2011 Buenos Aires mayoral campaign
In 2015 I ran the national campaign's technology infrastructure and digital product development, reporting to the Director of Digital Communication. In 2011 I worked on digital strategy and applications for the re-election campaign in Buenos Aires.
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2007 — 2015
Government of the City of Buenos Aires
Head of digital · Electronic Government Director · Head of Web · CTO Citizen Services
I led a 40-person in-house team of developers, UX designers, civic hackers and geographers, working with Lean Startup methods and open source.
- Mi BA (2015): a personal account for every resident to see their information and services in one place. It was the genesis of Mi Argentina.
- Services closer to home: moved in-person procedures out of central offices into the city's 15 comunas (formerly CGPs), with online appointment booking.
- 147: merged 28 phone lines into a single citizen contact centre, the city's 311, backed by an Open311-based service request system.
- buenosaires.gob.ar: consolidated 400+ websites into one; 22M visits a year by 2011.
- BA Cómo Llego: the city's journey planner app, named App of the Year in 2014.
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2000 — 2007
Private sector
General Manager, PackagingBrokers.com · CIO, Mailparking.com · IT Manager, LaCasilla.com.ar
Early internet businesses in Buenos Aires and Curitiba. This is where I learned to build products people pay for.
Selected work
Frameworks, playbooks and public services I've led or co-created.
Talks, videos & podcasts
Keynotes, webinars and interviews in English and Spanish.
Building Argentina's government-as-a-platform
How a small team built Mi Argentina and argentina.gob.ar with limited resources: focusing on user needs, personalisation, and keeping a team delivering.
Minimum viable government
Applying Lean Startup thinking to the state: ship the smallest useful public service, learn from citizens, and iterate.
DPI–AI Framework: integrating AI into DPI
Identity, payments and verifiable credentials in Latin America
The present and future of digital transformation in Argentina
The story of Mi Argentina
From the archive 10 talks · 2011–2019
Digital government in Argentina, as Undersecretary
Agesic 10th anniversary
II Argentine Forum on Digital Transformation of the State
Programa 1470: a policy to modernise the state
Digital government at Real Tecno 2016
The IDB's first citizen innovation hackathon in Latin America
Transparency, accountability and open data (panel)
Public services and mobile apps
What do the media do with Buenos Aires City's public data?
Government and social media
Writing & press
Papers, articles, case studies, book chapters and coverage.
- 2026DPI-AI Framework: Building AI-Ready Nations through Digital Public InfrastructureCDPI · Paper
- 2026New framework argues government AI depends on strong DPIBiometric Update
- 2025The DPI Roadmap Playbook (G20)DIAL · CDPI · BTCA · AfricaNenda
- 2025Building digital trust in Latin AmericaSovra · Podcast
- 2025South Africa launches its Digital Transformation RoadmapThe Public Servant · South Africa DPSA
- 2025DPI: the sense of urgencyLinkedIn · Article
- 2025A potent moment for the global DPI agenda: how South Africa's G20 presidency can accelerate itBetter Than Cash Alliance · Co-author
- 2024Infrastructure for the Digital Age: building a safer, more resilient digital ecosystemNew America · Contributor
- 2024CDPI and Red GEALC sign letter of intent to boost DPI in Latin America and the CaribbeanBiometric Update
- 2024A humanity-scale digital public infrastructure?GovInsider
- 2024CDPI to launch DPI-as-a-Packaged-SolutionGovInsider
- 2024The creator of Mi Argentina on multi-platform digital services for citizen inclusionPlan B Misiones · ES
- 2024The digital future of Argentine cities, according to Daniel AbadieEconomis · Interview · ES
- 2022Government Butlers: past, present and future of Argentina's digital stateOpinion columnSeúl · ES Medium · EN
- 2022Chapter 7: Daniel Abadie, in Digital Government ExcellenceWiley · Book
- 2020Argentinian Digital Health StrategyPaper · Co-author · Stud Health Technol Inform
- 2020Argentina: building a civic tech startup within governmentCase study · Harvard Kennedy School, State of Digital Transformation 2019
- 2019From city to nation: digital government in Argentina, 2015–2018Case study · Bennett Institute, University of Cambridge
- 2019Digital innovation in Latin America: Argentina's digital driver's licenseCase study · Beeck Center, Georgetown University
- 2019Crecer con Salud: virtual assistant for pregnancy and early childhoodCase study · OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation
- 2019Chat Crecer: health policy that works outside the health systemChatbots Life
- 2019How Argentina launched a new driving licence in just 65 daysGovInsider
- 2019“The best procedure is the one you eliminate”El Periódico · Interview · ES
- 2019Argentina makes the digital national ID (DNI digital) officialargentina.gob.ar · ES
- 2019The 20 most influential people in digital governmentApolitical
- 2019Webby Award winner: Crecer con Salud virtual assistantThe Webby Awards
- 2019Disposition 24/2019: Argentina's official open-source code repositoryRegulation · Signed by Daniel AbadieOfficial text · ES EN (translated)
- 2018State and citizenship in the 21st centuryInfobae · Opinion column · ES
- 2018Argentina and Uruguay: a shared digital agendaargentina.gob.ar · ES
- 2018Government as a platform: Mi Argentina as a personal hub for citizen information and servicesMediumES
- 2018Resolution 139/2018: automated virtual assistants (AI chatbots) for citizen services across national governmentMinisterial resolution · AuthorOfficial text · ES EN (translated)
- 2017Decree 87/2017: creating Argentina's National Public Sector Digital Platform and Mi ArgentinaPresidential decree · AuthorOfficial text · ES EN (translated)
- 2016“Having internet is not an end in itself, it's a tool”: at the UN Internet Governance Forumargentina.gob.ar · ES
Skills
If I were an AI agent, this would be my card: who I am, what I can do, and when to call me.
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dpi-architecture
Designs national Digital Public Infrastructure: digital ID, payments, data exchange and verifiable credentials, with neutral, open and interoperable choices.
Use when a country is scoping, sequencing or procuring its DPI.
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ai-for-government
Treats AI as interoperable blocks on top of DPI rails, not as vertical silos. Lead author of the DPI-AI Framework; in 2018 wrote the rule bringing AI virtual assistants into Argentina's national government.
Use when deciding where AI fits in public services without vendor lock-in.
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government-as-a-platform
Turns fragmented services into one citizen experience. Built Mi BA, Mi Argentina (30M+ users) and argentina.gob.ar.
Use when citizens face hundreds of sites, forms and logins.
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digital-team-building
Hires and leads in-house, multidisciplinary teams run like a civic-tech startup inside government.
Use when a government needs its own delivery capacity, not another vendor.
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strategy-to-delivery
Moves from plan to shipped product with small budgets and short cycles. The digital driving licence went live in 65 days.
Use when the strategy exists but nothing has shipped.
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ecosystem-partnerships
Brings together governments, multilaterals (IDB, World Bank, UNDP, CAF), funders and open-source communities around one plan.
Use when a programme needs aligned partners and funding.
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digital-inclusion
Designs programmes that get people online and using services. Argentina's plan reached 400,000+ people in 160 cities.
Use when adoption, not technology, is the bottleneck.
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public-speaking
Keynotes, webinars and executive teaching in English and Spanish, from Code for America to TEDx.
Use when leaders need to understand DPI and AI, and then act.
Strengths
- Bias to action
- Curiosity-driven problem solving
- Translates between policy, politics and technology
- Delivers with limited resources
- Builds teams that outlast him
- Works across Latin America, Africa and Asia
Questions
Short answers about my work on AI and Digital Public Infrastructure for the public sector.
Who is Daniel Abadie?
Daniel Abadie is an Argentine expert on AI for the public sector and Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI). He is Head of Technology & Partnerships at the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure (CDPI) and lead author of the DPI-AI Framework. From 2015 to 2019 he was Argentina's Undersecretary of Digital Government, where he created Mi Argentina, now used by more than 30 million people. Apolitical named him one of the 20 most influential people in digital government (2019), and he is a TEDx speaker.
Why is Daniel Abadie considered a reference on AI and digital government?
Apolitical named him one of the 20 most influential people in digital government worldwide (2019). He is a TEDx speaker (“Minimum viable government”, 2014) and gave a keynote at the Code for America Summit (2019). Chat Crecer, the virtual assistant his team built, won a 2019 Webby Award, and he is a member of IADAS, the academy behind the Webby Awards. His work in Argentina is the subject of case studies by the University of Cambridge, Georgetown University and Harvard Kennedy School, and he is lead author of CDPI's DPI-AI Framework.
What is Daniel Abadie's view on AI in government?
He argues that AI in government works best as interoperable AI Blocks running on top of strong DPI rails such as digital identity, payments and data exchange, and orchestrated through public workflows, rather than as standalone systems tied to one vendor. Without solid DPI, AI cannot work reliably inside government. His view comes from practice: in 2018 he wrote the regulation that put AI virtual assistants into Argentina's public services.
What is the DPI-AI Framework?
The DPI-AI Framework is a 2026 vision paper and toolkit from CDPI, with Daniel Abadie as lead author, on building AI-ready nations through Digital Public Infrastructure. It defines AI Blocks, DPI Workflows and Public Agents, and includes a 9-step implementation guide. Reviewers came from Mozilla, the Gates Foundation, UCL, OpenFn, AWS and Public Digital.
What has Daniel Abadie built?
Mi Argentina, the national citizen platform and digital wallet with 30M+ users; argentina.gob.ar, which merged 1,000+ government websites; Chat Crecer, a virtual assistant for pregnancy and early childhood that won a 2019 Webby Award; Mi BA and the 147 contact centre in Buenos Aires; and Argentina's National Digital Inclusion Plan, which trained 400,000+ people. He also wrote the rules behind them: Decree 87/2017, which created the national digital platform and Mi Argentina; Resolution 139/2018, which brought AI virtual assistants into citizen services across the national government; and Disposition 24/2019, which opened the government's code on GitHub.
How can I contact Daniel Abadie?
LinkedIn is the best way to reach him: linkedin.com/in/danielabadie. He works with governments, private organizations, multilaterals, funders and open-source communities on DPI, AI and digital transformation.
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Exploring DPI or AI for your country or organization? Let's talk.
LinkedIn is the best way to reach me. I work with governments, private organizations, multilaterals, funders and open-source communities.