During the Industry Insider — Texas State of Technology forum last week, CIOs from the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), the Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the Department of Motor Vehicles (TxDMV) and Austin public transit provider Capital Metro (CapMetro) shared their stances on artificial intelligence and how they plan to use it in the near future.
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 timeframes for processing tickets.
“We’ll continue looking at ways to possibly implement AI from a generative reporting perspective,” said Selissen. “We’re also looking at how we can really look at AI from a smart technology on the transportation side of house.”
Ricardo Blanco, CIO and deputy executive commissioner of HHSC, sees automation opportunities in improving the customer experience and workforce management: “Any type of application or services, primarily, that support the social services aspect.”
“We feel that there’s opportunities there to create some automation, and also improve the customer experience, if you will,” said Blanco. “It’s a big challenge within government, getting people to understand that as simple as people when they call in, not all of them want to call and talk to someone, I just want to text and I want to get a response.”
CapMetro CIO and Senior Vice President Tanya Acevedo is looking to bolster predictive analytics to improve the department’s current system for tracking city buses. By processing collected data with AI, the department hopes to provide a more reliable service for its customers.
“We do keep up somewhat with emerging technologies, we just have to get better at it,” said Acevedo. “And what is that, of course, the artificial intelligence that would absolutely know that the bus has passed.”
Unlike her cohorts, DMV CIO Wendy Barron said her department is not currently considering using AI.
“My folks at the DMV are a little bit scared of technology,” said Barron. “So they’re really not pushing AI from the business side of things.”
Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-98, also spoke at the event, during which he expressed his excitement for the Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, established on June 13 when Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 2060. The council is tasked with monitoring and assessing all AI technology developed, employed or procured by state agencies.
CIOs Talk AI Implementation at State and Local Levels
CIOs from the HHSC, TxDOT, TxDMV and CapMetro discussed AI and how it could be used to automate their departments during a recent Industry Insider forum.
