Michigan lawmakers consider statewide AI pilot program

Michigan lawmakers are weighing a proposal to test artificial intelligence in a controlled government pilot program before scaling it statewide.

State Rep. Jaime Greene last Friday introdcued HB 5899, a bill that would establish a formal pilot program allowing agencies to experiment with generative AI tools under strict oversight. It would also create a governing board to set standards around privacy, bias and responsible use.

If enacted, Michigan would join a growing cohort of states using pilots programs to experiment with AI across a variety of use cases, from document processing to customer service.

“This bill will allow our state government agencies to explore what artificial intelligence has to offer while making sure we are using this technology responsibly,” Greene said in a press release. “By establishing clear oversight and guardrails, this bill allows the state to evaluate emerging technology in a thoughtful and measured way before broader implementation.”

Michigan’s bill has been referred to the House Committee on Communications and Technology, which Greene chairs, for further consideration. 

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers found in an annual survey of its membership that roughly 90% of state technology leaders are conducting pilot programs or proofs of concept to explore AI in “low-risk” environments. These projects are often paired with employee training and limited-use sandboxes.

Some states are moving beyond pilots. New York officials this month expanded an AI program to more than 100,000 state employees after an initial pilot across eight agencies showed promise in improving service delivery. California and Pennsylvania are among the states to have launched enterprise chatbot pilots for government workers, signaling early interest in generative AI productivity tools.