Pittsburgh, PA – Today, Governor Josh Shapiro joined hundreds of technology leaders at the inaugural AI Horizons Summit in Pittsburgh's Bakery Square, a one-day event focused on exploring the rapidly evolving field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its transformative potential across industries. At the summit, Governor Shapiro discussed the significant progress the Commonwealth has made to empower its employees in generative AI and develop effective use cases of generative AI since he signed a nation-leading Executive Order one year ago.
Also at the summit, Governor Shapiro helped launch the first-ever NVIDIA AI Tech Community – a new partnership between NVIDIA, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of Pittsburgh aimed at enhancing Pittsburgh’s innovation ecosystem in robotics, autonomy, and AI – signing a certificate commemorating the announcement alongside Carnegie Mellon University President Dr. Farnam Jahanian, University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Joan Gabel, and NVIDIA Public Sector Vice President Anthony Robbins.
“We need to lean into innovation and adapt to the changing tech environment while we continue to educate ourselves about new technology. That’s why last year, I signed an Executive Order to govern the use of generative artificial intelligence and take advantage of the opportunities this new technology presents to ensure our Commonwealth approaches generative AI responsibly and ethically,” said Governor Shapiro. “When I signed that executive order, I also announced that my Administration was partnering with Carnegie Mellon University, one of Pennsylvania’s leading generative AI research institutions, to leverage the expertise we have in Pennsylvania on generative AI usage. Building on that collaboration, the NVIDIA AI Tech Community is an example of how Pennsylvania is working to bring industry leaders together to minimize the risks and maximize the benefits of artificial intelligence. Pennsylvania is continuing to lead the nation in responsible, ethical uses of generative artificial intelligence.”
Governor Shapiro and his Administration have taken proactive steps to harness new technologies – like generative AI – while empowering the state workforce. Last year’s Executive Order established responsible standards and a governance framework for generative artificial intelligence (AI) use by Commonwealth agencies and establish a Generative AI Governing Board to guide Commonwealth policy, use, and deployment. The Executive Order enumerates ten core values governing the use of generative AI in Pennsylvania, including: accuracy, adaptability, employee empowerment, equity and fairness, innovation, mission alignment, privacy, proportionality, safety and security, and transparency.
Expanding Training for Commonwealth Employees
Less than a week after Governor Shapiro signed the Executive Order, the Office of Administration (OA) published a new website and information technology policy on generative AI to help guide and support Commonwealth employees. An overview of generative AI, its risks, and its uses is now included in employees’ mandatory security training.
Partnering with CMU’s Block Center for Technology and Society
When he signed the Executive Order, Governor Shapiro also announced a partnership with Carnegie Mellon University’s Block Center for Technology and Society, one of Pennsylvania’s leading generative AI research institutions, which created opportunities for the Commonwealth to leverage faculty expertise and receive advisory support for the Generative AI Governance Board. CMU faculty experts have provided advice as the Board oversees the responsible, efficient, and ethical use of generative AI across the Commonwealth and has worked to identify opportunities for pilot projects in which the use of generative AI could significantly empower employees in their work.
ChatGPT Enterprise Pilot Program
In January, Governor Shapiro launched a first-in-the-nation pilot with OpenAI providing some Commonwealth employees with access to ChatGPT to encourage ethical AI use for public services and to make government services more accessible.
Over the course of the pilot, OA has collected employee feedback in the form of biweekly feedback entries, user interviews, and live feedback sessions. 54 Commonwealth employees were part of phase 1 of the ChatGPT Enterprise pilot, and subsequent phases have had as many as 125 participants. Initial results showed employees self-reported saving an average of 105 minutes a day on tasks when assisted by ChatGPT on the day they most recently used ChatGPT, using the tool for brainstorming, code creation, and initial drafting of content, engaging in a human tech partnership.
About the NVIDIA AI Tech Community
The NVIDIA AI Tech Community will be anchored by two state-of-the-art research centers in Pittsburgh – Carnegie Mellon University will lead a center focused on robotics, autonomy, and AI, while the University of Pittsburgh will head a center for AI and intelligent systems. These hubs aim to drive cutting-edge advancements and strengthen the city’s innovation ecosystem, solidifying Pennsylvania as a leader in the rapidly growing AI technology landscape.
NVIDIA aims to accelerate innovation and the commercialization of AI technologies through partnerships with these universities. The initiative will also engage Pittsburgh-based AI startups through the NVIDIA Inception program, including Lovelace AI and Skild AI, as well as software development companies via the NVIDIA Connect program.
Read the Executive Order 2023-19, Expanding and Governing Generative Artificial Intelligence Within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
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