Pennsylvania Launches Historic ChatGPT Pilot Program for State Employees
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has announced a groundbreaking pilot program in collaboration with OpenAI that will provide licenses for select state employees to use the company’s ChatGPT tool. This marks the first-ever arrangement between OpenAI and a state government, setting a new precedent for the use of AI in the public sector.
The ChatGPT Enterprise pilot program is set to commence this month and will initially be limited to 50 employees from the Pennsylvania Office of Administration. The enterprise version of ChatGPT offers additional cybersecurity, privacy, and management features not available in the free consumer version.
Under this program, participating state employees will be able to leverage ChatGPT for various tasks such as content creation and editing, simplifying outdated policy language, drafting job descriptions, writing computer code, and resolving issues of duplication and conflicting guidance within the state’s extensive employee policy documentation.
Chief Information Officer Amaya Capellan expressed the state’s commitment to embracing generative AI to enhance workforce productivity. The pilot program’s findings will be instrumental in driving wider integration of generative AI across Pennsylvania’s operations, with the possibility of expanding ChatGPT access to additional agency employees in the future.
The feedback received from the participating employees will play a crucial role in understanding the capabilities and limitations of generative AI in state government. This input will also inform the need for employee training and further expansion of ChatGPT to other departments.
Governor Shapiro is scheduled to meet with senior executives from OpenAI to discuss Pennsylvania’s approach to governing the use of generative AI. The Governor’s administration emphasizes that Pennsylvanians will not directly interact with ChatGPT when engaging with the state.
Privacy concerns have been addressed in the agreement between Pennsylvania and OpenAI. The deal ensures that no data entered by state employees into ChatGPT will be used to train its deep learning models or for any future products by OpenAI. The enterprise version of ChatGPT provides enhanced cybersecurity features, reassuring the state that data will be appropriately safeguarded. Employees are also prohibited from entering sensitive information, such as personally identifiable data.
This new pilot program was recommended by Pennsylvania’s generative AI governing board, which was established by an executive order signed by Governor Shapiro in September. The program aims to leverage the power of AI while ensuring privacy and accountability.
In conclusion, Pennsylvania’s launch of the ChatGPT pilot program for state employees represents a significant step in harnessing generative AI for public sector tasks. By embracing this innovative technology, Pennsylvania aims to enhance productivity and efficiently deliver services to its residents. With careful consideration for privacy and feedback-driven improvements, the state government seeks to lead the way in the adoption of generative AI.
