Report: Most States Undergoing Initial AI Deployment; Facing IT Modernization Issues

A study conducted by the Center for Digital Government, National Association of State Chief Information Officers and IBM has found that most states are still in the early stages of artificial intelligence deployment.

The study, titled “Delivering on Digital Government: Achieving the Promise of Artificial Intelligence,” includes the input of chief information officers, chief technology officers and other agency heads representing 45 states. 

According to the report, only 1 percent of the respondents believe that AI is “widely used” in their states while 31 percent say they are still working on proof of concepts and demonstrations.

Respondents also cited legacy information technology infrastructure and staff shortages as challenges for implementing AI capabilities, in addition to a culture of distrust in the technology and shortfalls in data governance.

“Most legacy environments weren’t designed to handle the large volumes of data and processing that advanced analytics or AI applications demand,” the report stated. “That leaves organizations scrambling to upgrade their on-premises data centers, or more likely, to develop hybrid cloud strategies that can provide the necessary capabilities.”

Respondents pointed to chatbots and digital assistants as primary applications of AI that are currently in place. They also cited cybersecurity, health and human services and IT-related activities as areas where AI may be useful.