AI as a Stress Test for Government Data

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When Neil Cooke became the Chief Data Officer at the Texas Department of Information Resources in 2022, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) was not on the horizon. The role was focused on data governance and collaborating with state agencies in overseeing the shared open data portal. It is tempting — and a little clickbaity — to say GenAI changed all that. But that would be factually incorrect. In fact, all the behind-the-scenes work on data management and governance has gone a long way toward preparing the state to meet the challenges — and take advantage of the opportunities — of AI.

Cooke talked about data disciplines as a precursor to the effective use of artificial intelligence on our occasional series, Government A to Z, with TFIC co-host and Government Technology Staff Writer Ashley Silver along with two colleagues from Governing — Staff Writer Zina Hutton and Digital Editor Zoe Manzanetti.

Show Notes

Here are the top 3 takeaways from this episode:

An Evolving Strategic Role:

• Chief Data Officers (CDOs) and data management officers play pivotal roles in navigating government challenges by overseeing data governance practices and promoting collaboration across agencies.
• Their responsibilities include breaking down data silos, ensuring data quality, and fostering a culture where data is valued and managed effectively.

AI’s Transformative Potential:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerges as a transformative tool in addressing governmental challenges, offering opportunities for automation, enhanced decision-making, and predictive analytics.
• However, the effectiveness of AI models heavily relies on the quality and security of the data they’re trained on, emphasizing the importance of robust data governance frameworks.

Collaborative Approach:

• Collaboration between government entities, AI advisory councils, and technology experts is essential for responsible AI development and effective data governance.
• Initiatives such as data literacy programs and AI user groups facilitate knowledge sharing and best practices dissemination, fostering a collaborative environment for addressing governmental challenges.

Related Links to stories related to this episode:

• Texas DIR Appoints Neil Cooke to Lead State Data Initiatives
• Agency's New State Chief Data Officer to Oversee Open-Data Portal

Our editors used ChatGPT 4.0 to summarize the episode in bullet form to help create the show notes. The main image for this story was created using DALL-E 3.