Chris Hein, director of Google Public Sector Engineering, told Kentucky lawmakers Tuesday that AI technology is at a stage where states need to begin planning for how they might use it.
"Where we are is far enough along that you absolutely need to be working on something," Hein said. "Because the technology is moving so fast that if you wait, if government does what it often does, which is kind of sit in the back and and not adopt anything until it's way, way too late, you're not going to have the expertise on staff that can help to make the right decisions as to when to move faster and when to slow down."
Hein pointed to a number of areas where Google has helped states employ AI — typically areas seen as low risk and potentially high return. Think chatbots, taking constituent calls, and updating antiquated code. He also said some states have opted to set up councils specifically to oversee the use of AI.
Right now, state government in Kentucky is using AI applications in a limited capacity. Ruth Day with the Commonwealth Office of Technology said it's a relatively small part of what goes on in government IT.
"We have hundreds of licensed products, and we currently have 30 AI tools," she said. "The primary implemented tools are virtual agents and document recognition."
Lawmakers appeared particularly interested in where AI companies believe their technology is headed in the next few years, how guardrails are being used to guide the process, and whether Kentucky might be able to use AI to bolster its unemployment system, which buckled under the stress of the pandemic.
The AI task force will meet again to hear more about bad actors in AI and how the state might safeguard against them. The goal is to help draft some legislation for the 2025 session.
