Artificial Intelligence: Our Coverage of 2023's Hottest Topic

Artificial intelligence was the hottest topic of 2023 following ChatGPT’s explosion in popularity at the beginning of the year. As the public sector becomes more open to the idea of integrating AI into its IT infrastructure, Industry Insider — Texas has consistently covered the needs of public-sector leaders and the advice of private-sector experts. Collected here is a roundup of our AI-related coverage in 2023.

In the first half of the year, Gov. Greg Abbott signed HB 2060, establishing an Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council. That bill was sponsored by state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-98), who chairs the Innovation and Technology Caucus of the Texas Legislature (IT Caucus).

Capriglione has remained a consistent vocal champion of technological innovation in the state and has made it his goal to help Texas establish itself as a national leader in AI. At the Texas Association of State Systems for Computing and Communications (TASSCC) State of the State Conference earlier this month, Capriglione called for state agencies to put forward more AI-related legislative appropriations requests (LARs).

Some department CIOs and IT leaders have vocalized their plans to implement AI into their programs or have already done so.

In August, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) CIO Bryan Lane spoke at a TASSCC conference about how his department is considering implementing AI in its hiring process to fill vacancies quicker.

At the same conference, Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) Deputy Executive Director Steve Pier promoted the positive potential impact AI can have on state workforce and practices, encouraging other agencies to embrace the technology.

During the Industry Insider — Texas State of Technology forum in September, CIOs from the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), the Department of Transportation (TxDOT) and Austin public transit provider Capital Metro (CapMetro) all shared details of their own departments’ progress with AI.

TxDOT CIO Anh Selissen described AI as a “critical area” and shared that her department recently implemented it in key areas to drive down user access management time frames for processing tickets.

Ricardo Blanco, CIO and deputy executive commissioner of HHSC, described AI as an automation opportunity to improve the customer experience and workforce management.

CapMetro CIO and Senior Vice President Tanya Acevedo reported her department’s efforts to bolster predictive analytics to improve the current system for tracking city buses.

At an Industry Insider member-exclusive briefing in November, Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts (CPA) CIO Jay Waldo described his agency as “all in” on AI, and confirmed it is currently using the technology to inform decisions and increase productivity. Waldo stressed that future procurements using AI must provide a notable improvement over current solutions rather than a lateral shift to be considered.

Experts on AI from both the public and private sectors shared their advice regarding its implementation at various events throughout the year. For instance, the IT Caucus’ “IT Day” in October saw experts from in and out of the state discuss AI’s role in government, how agencies using AI can protect collected data and AI’s role in the workforce.

TASSCC’s State of the State conference had its own panels of experts weigh in on the issue, where they discussed data governance in preparation for AI and preparing for AI-based cyber attacks.

Finally, the Government Technology* Texas IT Leadership Forum earlier this month featured panels on the ethical implications of AI implementation and how AI can inform public-sector decisions in Texas.

*Government Technology is part of e.Republic, Industry Insider — Texas’ parent company.