Dec. 20—Gov. Janet Mills on Friday signed an executive order establishing a task force to study the impact of the proliferation of artificial intelligence on Maine.
Nearly two dozen members of the Maine Artificial Intelligence Task Force will look at how to prepare Maine’s economy and workforce for the “opportunities and risks” likely to result from advances in AI and how to protect residents from potentially harmful uses of the technology. That could include recommendations to safeguard consumer data privacy, reduce bias in data and require disclosure around AI use.
The group also will consider the most promising possibilities for state agencies, municipalities and other jurisdictions to use artificial intelligence technologies to reduce gaps in service and improve government functions.
“Emerging AI technologies offer the potential to improve lives, drive economic growth and help solve complex challenges,” Mills said in an emailed statement. “But like all new technologies, AI, if not embraced in a prudent and responsible manner, can cause potentially harmful changes to the lives and livelihoods of Maine people.”
The group is expected to begin meeting in January and present recommendations by Oct. 31.
Mills said her executive order is in response to a surge in technological advances that could “revolutionize how people live and work.”
Nearly one-fifth of the U.S. workforce is classified as “highly exposed” to AI, making employees particularly vulnerable to job transformations driven by advances in artificial intelligence, the governor said. AI also can create jobs and businesses, improve productivity and efficiency and reduce barriers to entry in some technical fields.
The task force will bring together business, education, labor, government and community leaders to study the proliferation of AI. It’s charged with making policy recommendations that will position Maine to capitalize on the benefits of AI while minimizing risks for people and businesses.
State legislators in the U.S. this year considered more than 150 bills relating to government use of AI and at least 30 states have issued guidance on state agency use of AI, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
“With the rapid adoption of generative AI tools, all levels of government have sprung into action, working to understand current uses, set a common understanding around allowable uses, put guardrails around future uses and encourage the innovative development and use of AI tools to transform government services,” NCSL said.
State agencies are using tools such as robotic process automation, natural language processing, machine learning and content generation, it said. For example, state agencies have increasingly used chatbots since the COVID-19 pandemic, NCSL said. During the pandemic, at least 35 states used chatbots to support pandemic inquiries relating to health, unemployment benefits, taxes, food stamps, and citizen services.
About 25 other states have or are creating, commissions or task forces to advise policymakers on AI, according to Mills’ office.
Members of the 21-member Maine task force will include leaders from state and municipal government, the University of Maine System and the Maine Community College System. Others will include Maine workers, businesses and representatives of health care, civil rights advocates and a consumer protection organization. Mills said she’ll announce her picks for the task force in the coming weeks.
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