NASCIO, CDG and IBM Release Report on Current AI Trends Among State IT Executives

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO), along with the Center for Digital Government and IBM, today released a study on current artificial intelligence (AI) trends among state information technology executives. The study is an overview of survey responses from 45 states including state CIOs and their deputies, chief technology officers and selected agency heads. It also includes insights from in-depth interviews with multiple state CIOs.

New NASCIO President and North Carolina Secretary and State CIO Eric Boyette said, “Like most states, we continue to face a shortage, but have found that having AI resources such as chatbots allows employees to work more efficiently. AI has also allowed us to quickly analyze a large volume of security threats so that we can focus on the ones that need immediate attention. While AI is new for most states, I think it’s the direction that are all moving in.”

“This study is another validation of the productivity and personalization improvements AI will bring to government processes, professions and platforms. It will truly transform how government works and delivers services to citizens in a secure integrated way,” said Brenda Harvey, General Manager, Public Market, IBM.

The publication highlights challenges such legacy IT infrastructure, cultural concerns, lack of necessary staff skills for AI and organizational data silos and also includes recommendations or best practices including:

• Consider creating a framework for AI adoption
• Create multidisciplinary teams to address change management
• Assess data
• Modernize legacy infrastructures with targeted technology investments
• Choose AI projects where success can be clearly measured

The publication is available on the NASCIO website: www.NASCIO.org/ResourceCenter