Commonwealth Project

Pennsylvania AI Governance Initiative

The Block Center for Technology and Society at Carnegie Mellon University is collaborating with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to support the responsible implementation of generative AI technologies in state government operations.

Background

In September 2023, Governor Josh Shapiro signed Executive Order 2023-19, establishing priorities for the use of generative AI in commonwealth agencies. This order created a GenAI Governance Board to oversee the adoption of these technologies. The Block Center was named as a key thought partner in this initiative.

Our Approach

The Block Center is providing expertise and guidance through three main channels:

• Educational Workshops: Raising awareness and understanding of GenAI capabilities among Governance Board members.
• Strategic Consultation: Regular engagement with the Director of Emerging Technologies to support implementation efforts.
• Research Support: Facilitating graduate student research projects to inform the state's AI strategy.

Key Activities

Educational Workshops

We have conducted workshops on fundamental AI concepts, privacy and security concerns, and AI governance through procurement processes. These sessions feature expert faculty and allow for in-depth Q&A with Governance Board members.

Ongoing Consultation

Our team meets monthly with the Director of Emerging Technologies to:

• Plan activities and identify areas for faculty support
• Discuss the OpenAI Pilot Program implementation
• Connect key stakeholders with CMU expertise

Graduate Research

A team of Heinz School students completed a systems synthesis project for the Office of Administration, which included:

• Benchmarking Pennsylvania's GenAI goals against neighboring states
• Developing a tool to scope problems and identify appropriate AI solutions

Future Initiatives

As we move forward, we are proposing several new activities:

• AI Readiness Conference: A 1.5-day event in Harrisburg covering key topics for government AI adoption
• CMU AI Readiness Toolkit: Consolidating CMU-developed tools to support AI implementation
• Annual State Government AI Index: Expanding our benchmarking research to all 50 states
• Policy Problem Use-Cases: Piloting the AI Readiness Toolkit process on 2–3 state government challenges

Impact

This partnership aims to:

• Enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of state government services
• Ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI technologies
• Position Pennsylvania as a leader in government AI adoption

By combining CMU's technical expertise with Pennsylvania's governance needs, we are working to create a model for responsible AI implementation in the public sector.