Artificial intelligence has enormous potential, but determining how to use it effectively in government remains a challenge. A new Artificial Intelligence Incubation Lab established through Senate Bill 597 is intended to help Maryland address that question by bringing together state agencies and university expertise to test ideas, evaluate risks and explore practical applications for AI.
Faculty affiliated with the School of Public Policy Center for Governance of Technology and Systems (GoTech) helped shape the Artificial Intelligence Incubation Lab provision. "We worked with both Sen. Hester's office and the Governor's AI advisor to identify ways for the state to collaborate effectively with the university to identify how AI could be employed to achieve greater impacts while also looking for challenges to security and privacy," said Associate Research Professor Charles Harry, director of GoTech.
The lab is part of a larger initiative established through the bill that also includes the Maryland Artificial Intelligence Partnership and the Artificial Intelligence Public Services Fellowship, both housed within the University System of Maryland.
Harry said one of the biggest challenges facing organizations today is determining where AI can provide meaningful value while accounting for potential costs and risks. "I see the lab as a means by which the state can 'fast-fail' ideas before a large amount of effort and resources are expended," said Harry. "A major challenge with the use of AI, is how we utilize these capabilities that both make sense and take into account the significant costs to the environment, people, as well as financial resources."
The lab is designed to help agencies evaluate potential AI applications before committing substantial resources, creating opportunities to test concepts, identify concerns and refine approaches before implementation. For Harry, the work reflects a broader question facing governments, universities and organizations as AI adoption accelerates. "This effort directly confronts a central challenge we are finding with the use of AI," he said. "How do we use it to solve problems? That is inherently a socio-technical problem."
Now that the bill has been signed into law, the state and University System of Maryland will identify a home for the Artificial Intelligence Incubation Lab and provide the resources needed to support its launch.
