The chief artificial-intelligence officer: A blueprint for state and local government?

Late last year, the White House issued an Executive Order (EO) on the Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence. On page 52 of the 66-page document, the EO called for each federal agency to establish a permanent chief artificial intelligence (AI) officer. The EO specifies the primary responsibility, in coordination with other responsible officials, for coordinating their agency’s use of AI, promoting AI innovation in their agency, managing risks from their agency’s use of AI, and promoting the use of trustworthy artificial intelligence in the federal government.

While this has no direct bearing on state and local government, it does serve as a blueprint for AI governance. What makes this position so remarkable is the fact that AI was hardly on anyone’s radar some five years ago. Prior to the EO, a few states had already assigned senior level people to manage and coordinate AI initiatives—and local governments were not far behind. Given the history of federal initiatives, what happens at the federal government often gets adopted by state and local governments in some form or fashion.

The role of the chief AI officer (CAIO) is designed to play an increasingly significant role in both the private and public sectors. The CAIO is responsible for overseeing the development and implementation of AI technologies across the federal government. While we can expect to see the further clarification of the roles and responsibilities of the CAIO in the coming months, one can easily create a listing of roles and responsibilities which would include:

1. Strategic leadership and vision
• Developing and leading the organization’s AI strategy to support its overall government’s goals.
• Ensuring the alignment of AI initiatives with the organization’s strategic objectives.
• Advocating for and communicating the value of AI investments to stakeholders at all levels, including elected leaders, public managers, employees and external business partners.

2. AI governance and ethics
• Establishing governance structures to oversee AI projects, ensuring they adhere to ethical standards and comply with relevant laws and regulations.
• Implementing frameworks for responsible AI use, including transparency, fairness, accountability and privacy.

3. Innovation and transformation
• Identifying opportunities for AI to create value, improve efficiency and drive innovation within the organization.
• Leading digital transformation initiatives, leveraging AI to enhance products, services and customer experiences.
• Monitors AI use across all lines of government businesses.

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