Generating Opportunity: The Risks and Rewards of Generative AI in State Government

At NASCIO’s 2023 Midyear Conference, state chief information officers (CIOs) found that most conversations were leading back to generative AI (GenAI). Free public tools, which had been available for only a few months, were already changing the way people work, and state CIOs could see that the potential benefits and the potential risks may be significant. Shortly after that, NASCIO started the Generative AI Working Group. One of the most common questions that CIOs want to know is “What are other states doing with generative AI and what is the role of the state CIO?”

This publication seeks to answer that question as part of the 2024 president’s initiative report spearheaded by NASCIO’s then-president Jim Weaver who also serves as secretary and state CIO in North Carolina.  Information from this report comes from the generative AI section of the 2024 State CIO Survey as well as interviews with 11 state CIOs.