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Last month, DIR’s CTO and deputy state CIO John Hoffman spoke of the center during a wide-ranging state AI Advisory Council meeting and highlighted its growth and achievements.
The center was born of the 2020-2024 State Strategic Plan for Information Resources Management and is meant to assist state and local government along with higher education institutions in exploring AI and finding ways to used it to enhance service delivery, according to the CoE website.
Hoffman discussed the center’s approach to infusing AI into state IT programming and of providing opportunities for technologists and other stakeholders to train, exchange ideas, prototype and implement non-generative AI.
The scope of technologies include:
- Machine learning
- Robotic process automation
- Natural language processing
“The Artificial Intelligence User Group will provide interested SLED employees access to subject matter experts, use cases and training opportunities; as well as be a forum for discussing and breaking new ideas related to AI,” according to the interest list sign-up form.
Public-sector agencies also have access to a “more formalized, on-demand training” via a subscription platform, and more than 600 hours have been completed in about five months, Hoffman said. Technologists, procurement specialists and business-side employees are taking advantage of the training, so they can upskill and reskill to be AI ready.
Vendors have a role, too, and may express interest in participating in the Texas Innovation and Education Center, established in September.
