A yearlong state pilot program aiming to help state government workers become more efficient saved employees about 95 minutes of work time every day, and at least 85% of them said artificial technology was useful in some way, Gov. Josh Shapiro announced Friday.
That was part of the governor’s speech about how he is aiming to use AI to help state workers be better at their jobs. He was joined by other university, labor and private sector leaders at Carnegie Mellon University’s Hamburg Hall on Friday.
Mr. Shapiro, a Democrat, said that elected officials and partners can either choose to embrace technologies like ChatGPT, or ignore them and be left behind.
“There are too many public officials who think they can stick their head in the sand and ignore this, and try to ban emerging technologies,” he said. “I think we need to embrace it, and use it for the betterment of society and the betterment of the people we serve.”
Pittsburgh has become a hub for AI industries and tech. In Pittsburgh, 182 companies raised funds from venture capital last year, up from 136 in 2023. Of that, $999 million came from traditional venture and $900 million from other sources, including many corporate backers — showing that even in the current political environment, private industry believes in the region when it comes to the technology.
City and business leaders have also explored creating an “AI avenue” somewhere in the city because of how prevalent the technology is here, and how many companies in the industry are located here.
Mr. Shapiro signed an executive order in 2023 at CMU’s Tepper School of Business, aiming to use AI to help state government workers be more efficient.
It created an generative AI governing board along with workforce training programs and a set of core values: privacy, safety, fairness, accuracy and employee empowerment.
There also was the pilot program, which involved 175 employees across various departments. Harrison MacRae, director of Emerging Technologies at the state’s Office of Administration, said the AI tools like ChatGPT were like an extra set of hands to help them become more productive.
Officials said that before the pilot, less than half of the pilot program employees had even used AI. But whether it was an IT project manager saving days of troubleshooting due to software upgrades, a policy analyst digesting hundreds of pages of policy into more readable summaries, or a developer using it to create more efficient code, the pilot was a success, Mr. MacRae said.
When the governor signed his executive order in 2023, he said that AI should be used to help Pennsylvanians get simple answers to questions about government services.
“You shouldn't have to call that 1-800 number or walk in the office to get an answer,” he said then.
On Friday, Mr. Shapiro said that tech companies and the private sector are leading on how to improve the technology, but added CMU has a history of excellence in AI research.
“Every student here has a big brain, way bigger than my brain,” he said. “You all are seeing things way in the future and figuring out a way to make them relevant to us.”
The AI industry touches many different areas in the Pittsburgh region, from robotics to automobiles to paint schemes for a well-known company. Mr. Shapiro’s speech Friday was an example of the technology moving its way into government.
To that point, the governor said he had concerns about President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to university research, which he believes will stymie innovation and advances in society.
The governor and his kids have used ChatGPT themselves, he said — whether it be for completing class assignments or complex policy work.
“I’ve used it largely to research questions that need to go a little more in-depth than a simple Google search, or to be able to put a finer point on my search,” he said.
First Published: March 21, 2025, 8:03 p.m.
Updated: March 22, 2025, 1:52 a.m.
