The state is leading on AI, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said recently, with the city of Pittsburgh playing an important role. Pennsylvania partnered with OpenAI last year to pilot GenAI use among state employees, which resulted in demonstrable time savings.
Universities, too, have played a key role in the state’s AI ecosystem, expanding AI training and bolstering education. UPenn has contributed by creating AI-focused degrees and staff positions, and standing up a supercomputer to power the work.
The Cooperative Agreement for Artificial Intelligence Advising Services now builds on this work, enabling UPenn to serve as an adviser to Pennsylvania state government to help inform AI policy, strategy and implementation.
“AI is evolving faster than any technology in decades, and to stay ahead, we’re connecting our world-class research institutions like Penn, our innovative private sector, and our forward-looking state and local governments to harness its power responsibly,” Shapiro said in a statement.
Through the agreement, the state will leverage UPenn’s faculty experts and leadership with AI expertise to help inform the development of risk assessment and governance, simplifying its access to the university’s research capacities.
UPenn has served Pennsylvania state government for nearly 300 years, and this agreement builds on that, according to a statement from UPenn President J. Larry Jameson.
The collaboration was announced last week at the Unlocking AI for Public Good Conference in Philadelphia, which was co-hosted by UPenn and the governor’s office. The event convened experts across academia, private industry and government.
