Agency Leaders Talk Optimizing the Workforce for Artificial Intelligence

Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) CIO Chris Bunton and Dallas College Director of Workforce Development and Apprenticeships Relationship Management LaKesha Raynor joined a panel last week at the Texas Digital Government Summit* in Austin to discuss how public-sector agencies can prepare their workforces for artificial intelligence and automation.

Bunton started by stressing agencies should begin any AI project by identifying the problem they’re trying to solve and asking if they can measure the return on investment.

“You don’t just do AI for AI’s sake,” Bunton said. “We’ve been there before. Internet of Things, right? Cloud, it’s not always conducive to go to cloud. We learned that in state government the hard way.”

TDA has rolled out several AI-enabled tools, including a chatbot for its Farm Fresh program, a customer-facing chatbot designed to resemble TDA Commissioner Sid Miller and a new internal HR bot. A bot for farmers is in development and expected by the end of the year.

Raynor emphasized the importance of tailoring workforce development initiatives to agency-specific needs. “We don’t just give you some off-the-shelf things,” she said. “Everything doesn’t work for the health industry as it would for the cities and [public-sector partners].”

Dallas College serves more than 130,000 students each year and is expanding sector-based partnerships designed to meet the unique upskilling and reskilling needs of public agencies. Raynor said the first step in upskilling and building AI workforce programs is listening: “If we at Dallas College are going to prepare our workforce, we need to know who you are.”

Both panelists highlighted the importance of communication and trust in successful technology adoption. Bunton said TDA uses informal “Tech Talks” to roll out new systems, including AI, in a nonthreatening way.

“You want to make sure you can explain it, give analogies and explain it to where, if you’re trying to unroll it, it’s not threatening,” he said.

Raynor echoed the need to address cultural resistance and prepare for hard questions.

“Can we trust that you already understand what we could go through if we implement this incorrectly,” Raynor asked as an example. “Can we also then trust that … it’s not going to be used for a basis to get rid of our jobs, but to help us to do our jobs even more efficiently?”

Raynor said she’s looking forward to the emergence of a “digital workforce,” greater decentralization and a more diverse and collaborative public-sector culture.

“I need you to invest in trust," she said. "I need you to invest in training, and I need you to invest in transformation.”

Bunton offered similar advice to vendors and public leaders alike: “AI is here to stay. Resistance is futile. Take this opportunity to upskill and get reskilled and lean in and do it responsibly.”

For vendors looking to support Texas agencies, focus on solving real problems, not just selling technology. Agencies want partners who understand their mission, are prepared to help staff build AI literacy, and can offer measurable, sustainable solutions. Understanding each agency’s unique challenges before pitching a product will set vendors apart from those that don’t.

Bunton advised agencies to use existing security and authorization processes to vet new tech, so vendors should be prepared to map their offerings to these frameworks.

*Note: The Texas Digital Government Summit is hosted by Government Technology. Government Technology and Industry Insider — Texas are both part of e.Republic.