In just the last six months, “AI has been moving forward at a rapid clip,” according to a new blog post by Katherine Barrett and Richard Greene for the IBM Center for the Business of Government.  

According to the IBM Center-funded research report which came out last week, “a clear message from top level state sources was that expanding the use of AI needed to be handled with clear governance: care, extensive communication, continued policy refinement, training, and attention to security, privacy and data quality.”

As Jared Johnson, California Deputy State CIO and Chief Deputy Director in the California Department of Technology was quoted as saying, “When we approach these types of projects in the public sector, we want to take our time and have a thoughtful approach to preserve the public trust.”  

One of the top lessons learned was the critical need for residents and frontline staff to find AI advances accessible and easy to use and understand. When expanding AI technology, it doesn’t matter if we have something shiny and bright that we think works well. If they can’t use it, it’s useless. We want to make sure, through design thinking, that we understand resident and staff pain points and help to resolve them,” according to Laura Glenn, IBM program manager for utility assistance at the New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

Some common themes emerged in the report including the need for:

• A constant and continuous emphasis on training and the need to adjust training approaches depending on employee roles.

• Steady progress with an emphasis on security, attention to data accuracy and the protection of private information.

• Continuous modernization of non-AI technology, which may not align well with new AI systems.

• Engaging the state workforce with a focus on change management, accompanying technological development.

• A focus on upskilling the workforce as new AI tools and approaches alter employee roles.

• Attention to prioritization of how and where to expand, with a view of limited resources, and a focus on problems that can most effectively be addressed with AI solutions.

• Interest in innovation and the ways that AI use cases can uncover solutions to persistent problems, increase productivity and encourage creative thinking.

As the report states, “Looking at the implementation and expansion of AI initiatives, one of the most challenging aspects has not been the technology itself but dealing with team culture and the high degree of employee resistance to change.” 

As a result, listening to employees is critical. As Suzie Pollard, Nevada’s Department of Motor Vehicles CIO and IT administrator was quoted as saying. “When people felt heard, acknowledged, included, even if the final outcome wasn’t what they hope for, they remain more open and connected to the process. Building trust and creating space for input has been just as important as the technical work itself.”

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