The Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, appointed by Governor Abbott in February, met on March 21, 2024, to hear invited testimony on AI systems in use by the Department of Information Resources, the Texas Department of Transportation, the Texas Workforce Commission, and the Teacher Retirement System. Council Chair Sen. Tan Parker noted that the Advisory Council will hear from other state agencies and from the public throughout the year. John Hoffman, Chief Technology Officer of the Department of Information Resources, was the first testifier and explained that the DIR has established the AI Center of Excellence to educate and evangelize about AI as well as to include prototypes of AI services. The AI Center of Excellence will also assist agencies with developing their AI strategy, provide training and coaching, and hold agencies accountable for meeting ethical guidelines. The AI Center of Excellence is currently recruiting members for its AI User Group, which currently has 60 state agencies represented and will meet again on May 31. DIR privacy attorney Jennie Hoelscher testified that data privacy is a significant concern within the User Group, as well as the quality of the data that AI is trained on. The DIR is collecting examples of governance documents as it considers what rules or policy may need to be developed statewide.
Read more:Â Texas explores use of AI in state government | The Texas Tribune
Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council
Texas Department of Information Resources AI Center of Excellence