Need a state AI roadmap? NASCIO has a guide for that
In response to the growing demand from state governments for helpful uses of generative artificial intelligence, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers on Tuesday published a short guide designed to help policymakers draft AI “roadmaps.”
The three-page document claims that for each state, a generative AI roadmap will prove “an indispensable tool” in the coming months and years. The guide contains a list of 12 suggestions for states looking to shore up their governance and use of the rapidly evolving technology — from aligning generative AI with strategic plans to using effective communication.
“An AI roadmap not only facilitates the seamless adoption of AI but also enhances efficiency for an already strained state government workforce,” the guide reads. “There are several benefits to creating an AI roadmap including improving stakeholder and executive buy-in for AI initiatives, flexibility to adapt as the technology changes, efficient resource allocation and cost savings, risk management and improved service delivery.”
The dozen recommendations include nudges to establish governance and oversight processes to protect against cybersecurity and privacy threats, build inventories of existing AI applications and assessing the state of the state government’s technology infrastructure to gauge readiness for adoption of generative AI.
“Legacy infrastructure has been a common roadblock for states in the adoption of AI,” the guide reads.
Beyond tips for building an AI roadmap, the guide also contains a page of links to outside resources, including the generative AI policies of states that were early to develop them: Kansas, New Jersey, South Dakota, Utah and Washington. Other resources include links to AI policies from the White House, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and other groups. The document also collects links to governors’ executive orders on generative AI, a list that includes New Jersey, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin.
Tucked near the top of the document is also a hint of a piece of upcoming news: NASCIO says that AI will for the first time make an appearance on its annual list of top priorities of state technology chiefs, a document expected to be published later this month.
