Governor Josh Shapiro joined leaders from OpenAI, Carnegie Mellon College, and Pennsylvania’s labor neighborhood to unveil the outcomes of the Commonwealth’s first-in-the-nation Generative AI Pilot Program. The findings revealed that workers had a extremely constructive expertise, reporting a mean time financial savings of 95 minutes per day whereas utilizing ChatGPT for writing, analysis, summarization, and IT help.
The pilot underscored the significance of human oversight, demonstrated AI’s potential to streamline authorities operations, and confirmed that Commonwealth workers throughout varied roles, ages, and demographics benefited from the device. Workers throughout a number of roles — together with human sources, data know-how, coverage, and program administration — benefited from the device, serving to them work extra effectively and concentrate on extra complicated, high-value duties.
Launched as a part of the Shapiro Administration’s dedication to responsibly integrating synthetic intelligence into authorities operations, the pilot program supplied state workers with entry to ChatGPT Enterprise to boost effectivity, streamline workflows, and enhance the supply of companies for Pennsylvanians.
“Pennsylvania is main the best way in responsibly integrating AI into authorities by giving Commonwealth workers entry to instruments that improve effectivity whereas making certain folks stay on the heart of decision-making,” mentioned Shapiro. “This pilot program confirmed that when used thoughtfully, generative AI may also help workers save time, streamline processes, and enhance companies for Pennsylvanians. However let me be clear — AI won’t ever exchange our employees. As an alternative, we’re equipping them with the perfect instruments to do what they do finest: get stuff achieved for Pennsylvanians.”
A First-in-the-Nation AI Pilot Program
The governor signed Executive Order 2023-19 in September 2023, establishing Pennsylvania as a frontrunner in accountable AI adoption. The order set clear ideas for generative AI use in authorities — prioritizing accuracy, transparency, safety, equity, and worker empowerment — and created the Generative AI Governing Board to supervise AI coverage and implementation within the Commonwealth.
In January 2024, Pennsylvania launched its first-in-the-nation pilot program in partnership with OpenAI to discover how generative AI may improve productiveness throughout state authorities. The Workplace of Administration (OA) collaborated with main generative AI specialists and researchers from the Carnegie Mellon College Block Heart for Know-how and Society all through the pilot.
Over the course of a yr, 175 workers from 14 businesses used ChatGPT Enterprise to check AI’s affect. Practically half of the contributors, 48 %, had by no means used ChatGPT earlier than, but over 85 % reported a “considerably constructive” or “very constructive” expertise — demonstrating sturdy worker buy-in and the device’s accessibility throughout totally different roles.
The outcomes of the pilot, collected by biweekly suggestions classes, person interviews, and stay demonstrations, confirmed important advantages:
- Time Financial savings: Workers reported saving a mean of 95 minutes per day on administrative duties, reminiscent of drafting emails, summarizing prolonged paperwork, and navigating complicated bureaucratic processes.
- Enhanced Effectivity: AI-assisted work helped workers enhance hiring timelines, streamline procurement, extra shortly analyze contracts, and analysis new insurance policies sooner.
- Human Oversight Stays Important: Workers emphasised that AI augments human experience fairly than changing it, reinforcing the significance of human overview and judgment.
- Coaching and Adoption: Early challenges — together with a studying curve and workflow changes — highlighted the necessity for sturdy coaching to assist workers efficiently combine generative AI instruments into their day by day work. Whereas focused coaching and implementation methods helped handle some obstacles, ongoing help and adaptation stay important for maximizing AI’s effectiveness in authorities operations.
“This primary-in-the-nation pilot was led by Governor Josh Shapiro, powered by proficient Pennsylvanians and formed by a number of the world’s best scientists and engineers right here at Carnegie Mellon College and OpenAI,” mentioned Carnegie Mellon College President Farnam Jahanian. “It’s a outstanding collaboration and one which underscores the immense capability and inevitable necessity of AI in serving to governments function extra effectively, successfully and responsively.”
“We respect Governor Shapiro’s management in making certain employees have a voice on the subject of innovation and new know-how, and his efforts in making certain employees have the instruments to succeed at work. Generative AI is strictly that – a device. It’s necessary that AI is used ethically, with a human hand on the wheel to make sure these dangers are mitigated,” mentioned Steve Catanese, President of SEIU Native 668. “Alongside the ideas introduced at present, the Governor is coming into into an settlement that may present forward-thinking protections for each public workers and residents of Pennsylvania. Irrespective of how subtle know-how turns into, the general public will nonetheless have the ability to join with expert, skilled Pennsylvania workers to information them by occasions of want.”
“In Pennsylvania, we aren’t simply targeted on what AI can provide however on understanding when and the place it’s the best device to deal with the challenges we already face. For a lot of pilot contributors, ChatGPT supplied the additional help they wanted — serving to an IT mission supervisor streamline software program upgrades, a coverage analyst condenses tons of of pages into clear summaries, a developer debug code effectively, and a mission supervisor enhance stakeholder communications. Even a once-skeptical HR skilled now depends on it day by day,” mentioned Harrison MacRae, Director of Rising Applied sciences at OA. “These instruments have empowered workers, enhancing their capability to serve Pennsylvanians. After this pilot, the Commonwealth is healthier ready to navigate AI’s accountable use, and I stay dedicated to participating our workforce in a human-centered means as this know-how evolves.”
