Pennsylvania is a Top 3 state for government AI readiness

A new analysis of AI readiness across the United States shows that Pennsylvania ranks among the top three states in the country when it comes to adopting AI within state government – thanks in part to the commonwealth’s efforts to train state workers on artificial intelligence tools and its existing technology infrastructure.  

The Government AI Landscape Assessment, developed by the civic tech nonprofit Code for America, measured states’ readiness in adopting AI based on three core areas: Leadership and Governance, AI Capacity Building and Technical Infrastructure & Capabilities. 

States earned ratings of early, developing, established or advanced based on how they met Code For America’s criteria, with only three states – Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Utah – scoring an advanced rating. 

“Pennsylvania has demonstrated a strong commitment as an advanced state in AI maturity through comprehensive policies, ethical frameworks, capacity building, and pilot programs,” the assessment reads. “The state’s proactive approach positions it as a leader in responsible AI adoption and innovation.”

Pennsylvania scored an advanced rating in AI Capacity Building and Technical Infrastructure & Capabilities, with Code For America citing the state’s partnership with Carnegie Mellon University and InnovateUS to train commonwealth employees on AI as a contributing factor in its rating. The state’s existing information technology infrastructure, under the Office of Administration, also factored into the state’s advanced rating, with the assessment stating that the commonwealth “has quickly developed the technical underpinnings to support AI deployment.”

The assessment also notes that Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order in 2023 creating the state’s Generative AI Governing Board to oversee AI policy and implementation within his administration. 

Of the two other states that received an advanced rating for their AI readiness, Code For America highlighted the state of Utah’s work in laying the groundwork for AI use, pointing to the Beehive State’s appointment of a chief data and AI officer and the creation of an Office of Artificial Intelligence Policy. The nonprofit also praised New Jersey for the work of its Artificial Intelligence Task Force, which was created by executive order in October 2023. 

Jenn Thom, Code for America’s senior director of data science, stated that the Shapiro administration’s decision to implement a pilot program providing ChatGPT Enterprise to executive branch employees was crucial to Pennsylvania’s high performance in the AI assessment. “Helping to support staff in learning how to use AI in effective service delivery has really been something that makes Pennsylvania stand out,” Thom said, noting that the commonwealth has made AI a priority at the executive level.

She told City & State that Pennsylvania, Utah and New Jersey all share several traits that have contributed to their success in the AI realm.

“I think the executive-level support through either a chief AI officer or something equivalent … is something that these three states have,” Thom said. “Prioritizing training of staff so that they can incorporate AI responsibly in their work is something that the three states have in common. 

In addition to the three states that scored an advanced rating for AI readiness, 14 states were determined to be in the “early” stages of AI adoption, 17 states (plus Washington, D.C.) were found to be in the “developing” stages, and another 16 states received an “established” rating.

Pennsylvania made national headlines for attracting major AI investments from Amazon Web Services, which announced in June that it will be investing $20 billion in the state for the construction of two state-of-the-art data centers that the company said would serve as “the backbone for America's AI infrastructure.”

State lawmakers are hoping to replicate similar investments in other parts of the commonwealth, with Senate Republican lawmakers introducing legislation to create a Commonwealth Opportunity Zone, which would establish a statewide “AI, Data Center and Emerging Technologies regulatory sandbox” that would allow the private sector to collaborate with state agencies to identify and eliminate regulations that impede development. 

Regardless of where states landed in Code For America’s assessment, Thom said states should start small and identify instances where AI can be used to support state employees. “It’s really important to be able to use AI to augment decision-making for state and local employees. That’s the way we’re looking at AI – essentially as a tool that can help support government workers.”

This story has been updated.