(The Center Square) – Governance, research, development, partnership and training within state government in connection to artificial intelligence is within first-term Democratic Gov. Josh Stein’s AI Accelerator.
The Department of Information Technology and the North Carolina AI Leadership Council are other components from a gubernatorial executive order signed Tuesday. The council was filled with 24 members, inclusive of Teena Piccione, Lee Lilley and four members of the General Assembly.
Stein’s order, his 24th in just more than eight months on the job, says the purpose of the council is “to advise and support the governor and state agencies on AI strategy, policy, and training to ensure North Carolina becomes a national leader in AI literacy, governance and deployment to the benefit of our residents, communities and economy.”
According to the Brookings Institute in an Aug. 18 report, governments in at least 54 countries have published national plans on artificial intelligence initiatives. The United States is among them. At home, prior to Stein’s edict, 10 states had delegated a standing committee and another 24 had designated groups to study AI; only three states were yet to introduce AI-related legislation.
Co-chairmen of the council are Piccione in her role as secretary of the Department of Information Technology and Lilley in his role as the secretary of the Department of Commerce. From the General Assembly on the panel are Sens. Todd Johnson, R-Union, and DeAndrea Salvador, D-Mecklenburg, and Reps. Zack Hawkins, D-Durham, and Jake Johnson, R-Polk.
Stein, in a release, said, ““Our state will be stronger if we are equipped to take on these challenges responsibly. I am looking forward to this council helping our state effectively deploy AI to enhance government operations, drive economic growth, and improves North Carolinians’ lives.”
Others on the committee are Dr. David Yokum, chief scientist with the Office of State Budget and Management; Mary Penny Kelley, chief of staff in the Office of State Human Resources; Kunal Choksi, senior deputy attorney general at the state Department of Justice; Vera Cubero of the Department of Public Instruction.
Also, Bryan Harris, executive vice president and chief technology officer at SAS; Phaedra Boinodiris, of IBM Consulting; Marina Chase Carreker, founder of Galleon Strategies; Igor Jablokov, chairman of Pryon Inc.; Dr. Thomas Reardon, former vice president of Research at Meta and a partner at Lux Capital.
Also, Dr. Stan Ahalt, dean of the School of Data Science and Society at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Dr. Tommy Sowers, deputy director of the Duke Initiative for Science and Society; Dr. Andrea Crowley, executive director of the Student Success Center for North Carolina Community Colleges; Dr. Siobahn Day Grady, founding director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Research and associate professor of Information Systems at North Carolina Central University.
Also, Dr. Angel Hsu, associate professor of Public Policy and Environment, Ecology and Energy, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and founding director of Data-Driven EnviroLab; Markell Storay, chief information officer and director of Innovation & Technology for the city of Charlotte; Shinica Thomas, Wake County commissioner; Jennie Bowen, director of Workforce Development for Rivers East Workforce Development Board; and Leslie Boney, principal at BoneConnector.com, and former director of the Institute for Emerging Issues at N.C. State University.
