New Task Force to Create Road Map for AI Usage in Rhode Island
Two dozen public and private sector leaders have a year to explore how to leverage AI as a tool for government and business
;)
Untangle Your Mind!
Sign up for our free newsletter and start your day with in-depth reporting on the latest topics in education.
Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 麻豆精品 Newsletter
It鈥檚 been roughly since AI (artificial intelligence) became an inescapable topic of everyday conversation 鈥� much of it focused on the spectacular creative powers of generative AI, from making to .
But the rapidly emerging set of technologies offers much more than novelty: In fact, Gov. Dan McKee thinks AI could be an ally in his maneuver to . That鈥檚 just one goal of the eventual report that will be produced by the Rhode Island Governor鈥檚 Artificial Intelligence Task Force, which met for the first time Monday at the Department of Administration building in Providence.
Chris Parisi, president of Trailblaze Marketing and vice chair of the task force, invoked Spider-Man in his opening remarks, and noted that AI opens up a space of potential but also responsibility.
鈥淚鈥檓 not here to say AI will not take your jobs,鈥� Parisi said. 鈥淏ut we are also creating new jobs.鈥�
McKee established the task force with an , and it now includes two dozen members from both the public and private sectors, most of whom convened Monday afternoon for a light introduction and discussion of the group鈥檚 aims. Several members weren鈥檛 present, including Sen. Lou DiPalma of Middletown 鈥� he was traveling out of state 鈥� and Ang茅lica Infante-Green, the state鈥檚 K-12 education commissioner. The task force is chaired by Jim Langevin, the former congressman.
The diversity of stakeholders reflects what Parisi cited as one goal of the assembly: to make sure state applications of AI are 鈥渆thical and unbiased.鈥�
The other predominant concern was how to best leverage AI as a tool within government and business. Langevin announced the task force鈥檚 fact finding teams will work on topics like finance, government, education and small business over the next year, before producing a report and road map for AI usage in Rhode Island. It鈥檚 this data that McKee hopes will inform his strategy for higher incomes by 2030.
鈥淭his report is gonna be incorporated into this plan,鈥� McKee said.
The state鈥檚 executive branch is also soliciting a consulting strategic advisor to help advise the task force. A was uploaded to the state鈥檚 bidding site on June 24 and will remain open until July 25.
The multinational consulting firm McKinsey that AI use had 鈥減lateaued鈥� amongst businesses. But in its on AI, released May 30, the firm found this inertia has ended. A survey administered by the firm found that 72% of responding businesses were now using AI in at least one capacity. The use of generative AI 鈥� at its core the same technology used for recreational or artistic purposes 鈥� also ballooned, jumping from 33% to 65% usage since the last McKinsey survey.
In Rhode Island, the situation鈥檚 no different: 鈥淟ots of businesses will do great things with AI and lots of businesses are very nervous about AI,鈥� said task force member Commerce Secretary Liz Tanner.
The widespread professional adoption of AI has made its regulation likewise unignorable for governments, who also stand to benefit from the enrichment of data and simplification of work it provides. Nationally, an has been blueprinted, and task forces have been popping up across states like , , , and .
Statehouses nationwide have also introduced laws to regulate AI, which are now so plentiful the Electronic Privacy Information Center has introduced . In Rhode Island, DiPalma and Rep. Jacquelyn Baginski both introduced AI-related legislation during the 2024 session, and both sit on the AI task force as ex officio members.
Baginski, a Cranston Democrat, introduced against the practice of 鈥渁lgorithmic discrimination鈥� 鈥� in other words, instances of AI-driven decision-making that exhibit the bias the task force wants to avoid. Baginski鈥檚 bill also stipulated restrictions on not just 鈥渄eployers鈥� of automated decision-making but developers of such tools. The bill was sentenced to 鈥渇urther study鈥� by the House Committee on Innovation, Internet, & Technology and went no further.
and also introduced companion bills that would prevent the use of AI-generated content in election communications within 90 days of an election. Baginski鈥檚 version passed the House but died in the Senate.
The insurance industry was an early adopter of AI, with industry standards and guidelines for its use issued as early as . The state鈥檚 Department of Business Regulation has already issued guidance for insurers: a that was published in March, as pointed out by the department鈥檚 director and task force member Elizabeth Kelleher Dwyer.
Task force member Edmund Shallcross III, the CEO of Amica, said the Lincoln-based insurance company has 鈥渂een using data and machine learning for years鈥e鈥檒l be using artificial intelligence in probably every part of our business in the next one, three, five years.鈥�
On the government side, task force member Marc Pappas, director of the Rhode Island Emergency Management Agency, was generally positive about AI. 鈥淚t makes us better at recovery from disasters,鈥� he said, noting its skills in mapping, imaging analysis for damage assessment, and help in allocating resources when disasters strike.
Christopher Horvath of Citizens Bank appeared more cautious overall than some of his fellow task force members, expressing concern about 鈥渂ad actors,鈥� who can exploit AI. Security considerations were echoed by task force member Brian Tardiff, the state鈥檚 chief digital officer and chief information officer, who noted that AI can improve the efficiency of government but only if the proper frameworks are put in place.
鈥淲e can鈥檛 have effective and efficient deployments without that data security,鈥� Tardiff said.
Get stories like these delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for 麻豆精品 Newsletter