North Carolina’s state leaders want to integrate artificial intelligence into its workforce, and Gov. Josh Stein has tapped the Department of Information Technology to lead that effort.
DIT, a relatively young and low-profile cabinet agency, was formed in 2015 to be a centralized hub for IT services across all state agencies. It also houses the state’s 911 Board and has a division focused on expanding broadband internet access.
The department’s role in acquiring and implementing new technologies made it a natural fit to lead the state’s AI strategy.
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On Sept. 2, Stein issued an executive order which established an AI Accelerator program at DIT, required each cabinet agency to form an AI oversight team and directed the creation of AI literacy training programs for the general public.
An “accelerator” is a term more common in tech circles than government bureaucracy. In business, it refers to a short-term program in which start-up companies receive funding, mentorship and resources in exchange for a share of the business.
The new AI Accelerator at DIT will be an internally-focused program where state agencies will partner with businesses and universities in a 60-day program to “develop, test and pilot AI solutions in a safe environment,” according to the program’s webpage.
DIT has committed to transparency by pledging to keep an updated list of AI use cases tested by the Accelerator program. Right now, the team is soliciting ideas to be tested, but none appear to be underway yet.
DIT declined Carolina Public Press’ several requests for interviews with members of its leadership team and those involved with the Accelerator program. However, a department spokesperson did offer written comment on their goals in AI integration at the state agencies.
“The immediate focus is to improve efficiencies so that state employees can get back to working just a 40-hour week,” the spokesperson said.
“Given the current workforce shortage, we are training employees to leverage AI for personal efficiencies. We’re trying to give them back time from mundane tasks that can be automated so they can focus on tasks that can benefit from human judgment and interaction.”
The resumes of DIT’s newest additions to its leadership team offer clues about their approach to implementing Stein’s vision.
In December, Stein appointed Teena Piccione, a former Google executive with limited government experience, to head the department. Piccione told StateScoop, a media outlet covering government IT news, that she intends to “run at the speed of business, not at the speed of government.”
Soon after, Piccione hired I-Sah Hsieh, a 20-year veteran of Cary-based software company SAS, to be the department’s first Deputy Secretary of Policy & AI. The self-proclaimed “AI evangelist” is tasked with ensuring the “ethical, transparent and accountable” integration of AI into public services.
“My top priority is for North Carolina to be known for its trustworthy and responsible AI deployments,” reads Hsieh’s “About” section on his LinkedIn page.
“As trust increases, the demand and velocity of NC’s AI deployments will be able to increase also. Does this mean that we have to move slowly? No! Public servants already have the required culture for successful AI governance: we are compliance & privacy minded; we make sure programs work for everyone; etc. We will apply the governance-minded culture to explore, test and deploy AI speedily, without compromising safety.”
Although the rhetoric of DIT’s top brass emphasizes the need for moving quickly, whether they will successfully do so in the slow-moving world of state government remains to be seen.
In one example of that contrast in pace, Piccione wasn’t officially confirmed by the state Senate until May, five months after she had been first sworn in to the role. While that didn’t materially affect Piccione’s ability to do her job, it does illustrate the uphill battle DIT faces.
Stein’s executive order also established a 24-person AI Leadership Council co-chaired by Piccione and Department of Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley which will meet quarterly to provide recommendations for the carrying out of Stein’s directives.
Although it’s just an advisory body, the council’s membership reflects a partnership between the three sectors that AI thought leaders say are crucial to advancing the technology: government, industry and academia.
“No single sector can move AI forward on its own,” said Siobahn Day Grady, a professor at North Carolina Central University and the founding director of the school’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Research.
“Universities provide research and talent, government ensures accountability and trust, and companies deliver innovation and scale. In the years ahead, I see these groups working together more closely through pilot projects, training programs, and policy frameworks that help innovation advance in a responsible way.”
Grady is a member of the AI Leadership council and also partnered with state Treasurer Brad Briner earlier this year for a pilot program with OpenAI to explore ways to integrate ChatGPT into his employees’ workflow.
Briner gave a largely positive assessment of that experience during a press conference following the conclusion of the pilot in August.
According to a report authored by Grady and several of her doctoral students, Office of State Treasurer employees reported saving 30 minutes to an hour of menial work each day by the program’s end.
“This technology is all about empowering public servants to do an even better job serving our citizens, not about replacing them,” Briner said during the press conference.
The treasurer’s Division of Unclaimed Property and Division of State and Local Government Finance participated in the program, both of which work specifically with publicly available data.
Briner pledged that his office would not cross the “bright red line” of inputting private data into AI platforms. DIT warns that information provided to a publicly available generative AI tool is considered “released to the public” and may be subject to public records requests.
The Office of State Treasurer, like the other Council of State departments which are separate from the cabinet agencies, are not subject to Stein’s executive order.
Loretta Boniti, a representative of Briner, told CPP that the department’s free licenses with OpenAI had expired after the conclusion of the pilot program, and that it was currently assessing which AI program is best suited for its needs.
“The expectation is we will implement artificial intelligence into our workflow here,” Boniti said.
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