Maryland Governor Wes Moore is calling for comprehensive upgrades to aging and outdated government computer systems that can be combined with artificial intelligence to improve government services.
In Monday’s announcement, Moore (D) will provide guidance for integrating AI technology into state government, upgrading aging systems and making government services more accessible online for people with disabilities. Signed an executive order establishing initiatives. The governor likened his own effort to a state government software update.
“Think about it this way: My iPhone asks me to update it every eight weeks. But we haven’t updated the way our government works in the last eight years. We need it to win the decade. If the tools are the tools of the last 10 years, how can you win in the next 10 years?” Moore said.
“So today, Maryland is getting a software update,” he said.
of Executive order signed by Moore, the governor’s 24th order since taking office, establishes “guardrails” for the use of AI technology in state government. The order also creates a sub-cabinet to focus on this technology and promote its use within state agencies.
“Maryland’s government is at the starting line of its AI journey,” said Department of Information Technology Secretary Katie Savage. “We need to ensure that our approach to a range of technologies is responsible, productive, and consistent across all agencies. Establish a set of principles and values that we adhere to.”
Moore also announced the creation of the Maryland Digital Services and State Cybersecurity Task Force.
Maryland Digital Services, within the Department of Information Technology, focuses on website and application design.
The Cybersecurity Task Force will work to develop a holistic approach to cybersecurity issues for national agencies. The panel will also include representatives from the Department of Information Technology, Maryland Department of Military Affairs, and Maryland Emergency Management Agency, in conjunction with the state Department of Homeland Security.
Moore also announced efforts to upgrade state agency systems and websites to ensure equal access for people with disabilities.
“The goal of these efforts is to increase Maryland’s competitiveness through automation while ensuring technology is safe and accessible, leaving no one behind,” Savage said.
The announcement drew praise from lawmakers who are already grappling with AI and cybersecurity issues and modernizing the state’s computer systems.
“The governor seems focused on this,” said Del Ann Kaiser (D-Montgomery), co-chair of the House Joint Committee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology and Biotechnology. “We need the resources so that he and his administration can continue to focus on this issue.”
Sen. Katie Fry Hester (D-Howard, Montgomery), co-chair of the Senate Joint Committee on Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Biotechnology, called the executive order and related announcements “vision-setting.”
“That sets the tone,” she said. “They say technology is here. It’s an opportunity. If we don’t jump on the bandwagon, we’ll be left behind. This lays out her six principles, which are very good. think.”
But she added: “I always feel like things that have a set schedule and budget move more quickly here.”
Still, there are still unanswered questions. State officials will need to know what data may be collected from users through AI technology, how users will be notified about that data collection, and what steps states will take to protect the information they collect. It is necessary to clarify details such as whether the
Also not immediately addressed are concerns about how this technology will be used by law enforcement.
Modernizing national computer systems to be compatible with artificial intelligence is not a cheap proposition.
The effort could also face tough challenges as the governor and Legislature grapple with budget shortfalls in five-year fiscal projections. We also need to shore up funding for many other big-ticket programs, including transportation projects and plans to improve the state’s K-12 education system.
Asked about costs, Savage said the agency “already has funding set aside for major IT development projects across the state.”
Some estimates put the total cost of modernization in the billions of dollars.
Five years ago, then-Governor Larry Hogan (R) announced a modernization of computer systems within the state’s human services agencies. The transition from an outdated system to a cloud-based system is estimated to cost him $200 million in the first year.
Hester said the state spent $800 million over five years on these MD Think upgrades. He estimates that about 40% of the state’s remaining computer systems will need upgrades.
“Modernizing legacy systems will cost billions of dollars over the next decade,” Fry-Hester said.
That price exceeds the state’s current budget for such projects. From fiscal years 2015 to 2024, the state budgeted an average of $65.3 million. Hester said the money only paid for system modernization and had nothing to do with artificial intelligence.
“It adds up,” she said.