Pennsylvania becomes the first US state to implement ChatGPT to revolutionize government tasks. At a time when the role of AI in public services is being highly debated, the state has made a historic move to embrace generative AI in government departments.
This is a pilot study that will evaluate the impact of the tool on operations, efficiency, and productivity.
Governor Josh Shapiro leads the charge to test the impact of the AI chatbot on the safety and productivity within state offices.
It remains to be seen whether ChatGPT can streamline the daily workflow of government employees once it’s implemented.
The state’s Office of Administration (OA) is leading the experiment, which marks the first-ever validated use of the generative AI tool for employees working for the US government.
This trial will address the concerns related to the safety and security of the tool.
Our collaboration with Governor Shapiro and the Pennsylvania team will provide valuable insights into how AI tools can responsibly enhance state services.Sam Altman, OpenAI CEO
ChatGPT is known for its ability to generate information accurately, although it tends to make mistakes and experience “hallucinations” occasionally. This leads the bot to generate wrong or imaginative content that can mislead its users.
AI Governing Board Established For The Pilot Project
The authorities under Governor Shapiro have demonstrated a proactive stance to address the responsible use of AI, establishing an AI Governing Board.
This board is composed of experts who will collaborate to deploy generative AI ethically to optimize innovation. While mitigating the potential risks, this board will strive to balance the benefits.
Kathleen Hicks, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, has come up with Task Force Lima to explore the use of generative AI in military agencies.
In this context, the Governor stated, “Generative AI is here and impacting our daily lives already – and my Administration is taking a proactive approach to harness the power of its benefits while mitigating its potential risks”.
While tools like ChatGPT have demonstrated the ability to generate text and images based on input descriptions, concerns about data security and the potential exposure of sensitive information linger.
The US Space Force temporarily restricted the use of such AI models considering “data aggregation risks”. Lisa Costa, the Chief Technology and Innovation Officer of the organization, expressed concerns about the potential use of sensitive military information to train future models.
Since this is a temporary ban, it might be lifted, leading to a safe and secure use of generative AI.
The Pentagon’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office will lead this group and try to mitigate national security risks once generative AI is integrated into the military.
Federal Agencies Reveal Potential Use Cases of Generative AI
President Biden has come up with his executive order, “Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the Federal Government”, in response to which federal agencies have explained how they plan to use AI in non-sensitive and non-classified applications.
Some of these applications showcase the potential of generative AI in different sectors. For instance, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection uses X-ray images that reflect the power of generative AI tools.
With the latest development, the Pennsylvania government shows the way forward in the digitized era of state administration.