AI Governance Checklist for State and Local Leaders

As a growing number of public agencies look to implement tools and programs that rely on artificial intelligence (AI), elected officials and senior agency leadership have important roles to play in promoting the responsible adoption and use of these systems. Effective governance and oversight of AI is critical for state and local governments to realize good value from their AI projects, increase efficiency, build and maintain public trust, avoid failed AI projects and public relations disasters, and improve constituent services. Most importantly, these measures help governments ensure that AI tools are positioned to assist agencies in delivering on their missions of improving constituents’ lives and supporting the public good. This brief provides elected officials and senior leaders working in state and local government with a checklist of core recommendations specifically aimed at building government-wide structures, strategies, and processes to advance trustworthy and responsible use of AI in public benefits and services across five core areas: 1) Public Transparency and Stakeholder Engagement, 2) Accuracy and Reliability, 3) Governance and Coordination, 4) Privacy and Security, and 5) Safety, Rights, and Legal Compliance.