A blog post on generative artificial intelligence from the Little Hoover Commission looks at Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent executive order and reports progress in the field.
Assemblymember Bill Quirk’s AB 1733 amends the state law governing public access to meetings so elected officials could continue meeting via teleconference, a practice that began with the onset of COVID-19 restrictions in 2020.
The guidance from the state Little Hoover Commission follows its 2018 report “Artificial Intelligence: A Roadmap for California” and, in part, looks at progress since then.
The Little Hoover Commission, a California government watchdog agency, recommends that the state invest in a publicly owned, open source elections system. In this system, expert “white hat” hackers and interested members of the public could review the source code and report potential vulnerabilities to the California Secretary of State’s Office. Only authorized personnel would be allowed to physically modify the code.
Pedro Nava, chair of the state Little Hoover Commission, said his organization’s research shows significant benefits from allowing state boards and commissions to continue holding meetings online.
California must act soon to ensure that residents can permanently enjoy the benefits of remote participation in public agencies, write Pedro Nava and Bill Emmerson of the Little Hoover Commission.
