State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione (R-98), this year’s Bob Bullock Award for Outstanding Public Stewardship recipient, spoke with Government Technology* before the event about what inspired him to become a champion of technology in Texas and his hopes for the states’ future IT investments.
“I was always interested in technology,” said Capriglione. “I’m passionate about trying to improve people’s lives through technology. Then I got elected, so I decided to go and use that same love I have for technology and incorporate it in the political world.
“I think there are so many benefits that our constituents can see as we increase the amount of technology that the government is able to use,” he continued. “Being able to do digital transformation; just think about how difficult it was maybe to access government services or find out even where those services were to get answers quickly and efficiently. We’ve seen through time as government has spent more, as the state of Texas has spent more, invested more in technology, we’re able to provide just better services for our constituents.”
As chair of the Investment in Information Technology Improvement, Oversight Committee and the bipartisan Innovation and Technology Caucus of the Texas Legislature, Capriglione has been a vocal advocate for the use of artificial intelligence in Texas, calling for increased state agency use of AI and emphasizing the need for a comprehensive regulatory framework.
“I am more than cautiously optimistic on artificial intelligence,” said Capriglione. “I do think it’s the brand-new age, that we’re going to be able to make all of our lives easier and improve the quality of our lives. That being said, as a lawmaker, I know that my No. 1 job is to project public safety and protect my citizens. And so we’re going to try and find a balanced approach where we’re able to create these guardrails, go and protect our constituents while at the same time — hopefully — not to stifle the innovation that’s here.”
See the full interview with state Rep. Giovanni Capriglione below:
*Government Technology and Industry Insider — Texas are both part of e.Republic.
State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione Shares His Vision for Texas IT
The Bob Bullock Award winner shared his hopes for the state’s future IT investments and expressed his optimism for artificial intelligence.
