This Week in GovAI | CPSAI

The rapid rise of AI in state governments is creating both opportunities and challenges. The NASCIO 2024 conference highlighted the tension between embracing AI's potential and mitigating its risks.

Key Takeaways & Facts:

NASCIO 2024 Annual Conference:

• Record Attendance: Over 1,000 attendees, including state CIOs, CISOs, and private sector partners, demonstrated the growing importance of AI in government.
• Topical Focus: Cybersecurity, digital transformation, generative AI, and CIO priorities dominated the agenda, with AI emerging as a central concern.
• CIO Survey Highlights:State CIOs are increasingly focused on AI adoption, but many feel pressured to deploy it quickly without proper safeguards.
• Data quality and security are major concerns, with only 13% of state CIOs reporting high levels of enterprise architecture maturity.
• Workforce readiness is lacking, with existing IT teams needing upskilling and better recruitment strategies to attract AI talent.
• Cybersecurity Study Insights:Third-party breaches and AI-assisted cyber threats are top concerns for state CISOs.
• Insufficient budgets and staffing, alongside short CISO tenures (1.9 years on average), further exacerbate cybersecurity challenges.

State-Specific Examples:

• North Carolina: Encountered significant data quality issues while implementing AI for language translation and legislative analysis, highlighting the importance of data preparation.
• Colorado: Successfully piloted Google's Gemini to improve accessibility for disabled citizens, demonstrating AI's potential for enhancing service delivery.
• Arizona: Expressed concerns about the environmental impact of widespread AI adoption, specifically the increased energy consumption.

Other Developments:

• AI Policy Tracker: 33 states have formed AI task forces or similar bodies, signaling proactive policy development across the country.
• New York City: Is consolidating and updating city-wide datasets to improve their usability with AI systems, highlighting the importance of data management.
• California: Passed a law mandating AI literacy curricula in K-12 schools, emphasizing the need for early education and workforce development in this area.

Quotes:

• NASCIO President: "AI has already proven to be a topic of focus... with experts talking about how to successfully implement the technology."
• Deloitte Cybersecurity Study: "Hiring for a CISO-level position can often take six months or more... you are almost saying that for a good portion of the time there may not be a CISO in the state."
• Mississippi CIO Craig Orgeron: "States are striving to land fresh talent in a variety of ways... Agencies need to replace workers ready to retire while hiring professionals who can handle modern programming languages, artificial intelligence and other relatively new parts of the government technology work."

Recommendations:

• Prioritize data management and security: Invest in robust data infrastructure, governance frameworks, and cybersecurity measures before widespread AI deployment.
• Address workforce gaps: Provide upskilling opportunities for existing staff, incentivize careers in public sector IT, and attract AI-ready talent.
• Develop comprehensive AI policies: Establish clear guidelines for ethical AI development and use, addressing issues like bias, transparency, and accountability.
• Foster collaboration and knowledge sharing: Encourage dialogue and best-practice exchange between states, federal agencies, and private sector partners.

Conclusion:

AI presents a transformative opportunity for state governments to enhance services and improve efficiency. However, realizing this potential requires a strategic and measured approach that prioritizes data security, workforce readiness, and responsible AI governance.