Maryland will receive a “software update,” Gov. Wes Moore announced during the period. Press conference Monday.
Moore and IT Secretary Katie Savage announced four new technology initiatives, including a statewide executive order on artificial intelligence, a new digital services team, a digital accessibility policy, and a cybersecurity partnership with the Maryland Army National Guard. did. Through these efforts, Moore said, states will ethically integrate AI into state government operations, strengthen cyber defenses, and improve resident access to state resources, especially for people with disabilities. He said he is aiming for that.
“The harsh reality is: The world is moving rapidly, and if we don’t keep up, we will fall behind,” Moore said at a news conference. “The way I think about it is this: My iPhone asks me to update it every eight weeks. But we haven’t updated it the way our government has done it in the last eight years. If the tools you need to win in 10 years are the tools of the last 10 years, how can you win in the next 10 years?”
Savage said Maryland’s AI executive order is the beginning of the state’s AI technology efforts. He also said it is important for him to use AI responsibly, productively, and collaboratively across all government agencies in Maryland.
Regarding AI, Moore said: For many people in our state, hearing the words AI and cyber can be scary. The problem is, this technology already exists. The only question is whether we act reactively or proactively. … We will not stand still and wait for technology to evolve to meet tomorrow’s challenges. We take action and we take action together. ”
Savage said the executive order would require states to take a variety of actions, including identifying use cases and potential pilots for the technology while studying the intersection of AI, workforce development, and cybersecurity efforts. He said this is so the state can “learn and iterate.” ”
Savage said Maryland has the right talent to drive modernization efforts across state government, and the addition of the Digital Services team will support the budget for “massive” IT development. Ta. She said state government lacks “user experience designers, product managers and data scientists.” [and] We are looking to hire someone for additional support.
He said it was “intentional” to create an accessibility policy in conjunction with the digital services team.
“Maryland’s digital accessibility policy ensures that all Marylanders, regardless of ability, have equal access to digital services and content,” Savage said. “Technology is only productive if you have access to it.”
In an effort to strengthen the state’s cybersecurity and accelerate the government’s approach to assisting local governments in developing cybersecurity, Savage and Moore announced the Maryland Cybersecurity Task Force. They said the task force will work with the state Emergency Management Agency and Maryland’s military departments to foster cybersecurity workforce development.
Savage said the state will increase personnel in the National Guard and work with the force to “focus on systems monitoring, incident response and vulnerability remediation.”