State Government Gets Serious About Safe AI Use

In October of last year, the Biden administration issued an executive order including a number of “sweeping actions” designed to drive the responsible, ethical use of artificial intelligence (AI) across government.

There are signs that leaders at the state level are getting just as serious about the safe and transparent adoption of AI within government.

Last fall, for example, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order on expanding and governing the use of generative AI technologies, writing that the integration of generative AI requires the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to “ensure it is used responsibly and ethically in the Commonwealth’s operations.”

Gov. Shapiro’s order came within days of a similar directive from Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who noted the state government’s need to act ethically and transparently in order to “protect the rights of Virginians and develop targeted, innovative uses for this emerging technology to help deliver a best-in-class state government.”

Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is the latest to issue an executive order related to the responsible use of AI within state government. On Jan. 30, Gov. Inslee signed an order to develop guidelines for how the state adopts generative AI into its own systems to ensure its ethical and transparent use, according to a statement announcing the order.

Per Gov. Inslee’s directive, WaTech, the agency that operates Washington state’s technology and information security services, will work with the governor’s cabinet agencies to submit a report identifying potential generative AI initiatives that could be implemented in state operations, according to Gov. Inslee’s office. In addition, the plan would establish initial guidelines for the government’s procurement, use and monitoring of generative AI utilization.

Noting that individuals and organizations are adopting generative AI “at a dizzying rate,” Inslee said that the just-issued executive order lays out “a year-long process for agencies working together to assess the feasibility, benefits and challenges of integrating this technology into agency operations and services.”

For example, the order mandated that Washington’s Office of Regulatory Management consult with the state’s chief information officer and appropriate secretariats to take a number of actions, such as making recommendations for uniform standards for the responsible, ethical and transparent use of AI across all Washington state agencies and offices.

“We’ve seen how AI is already revolutionizing several industries in good ways — like more efficiency, reduced costs and greater accuracy in some fields,” said Katy Ruckle, the state’s chief privacy officer in the Office of Privacy and Data Protection, in a statement.

“Our goal is to help the state continue using generative AI in ways that help the public while putting up guardrails around uses that present a lot of risk.”