Eleonore Fournier-Tombs, a longtime technologist with more than 15 years’ experience working on technology innovation, AI policy, data governance and technology innovation — much of it in international and research-driven settings — is the state’s new chief AI officer.
As such, she will be at the center of how the state plans to manage, coordinate and expand its use of AI across government at a moment when experimentation is giving way to harder questions about oversight and long-term impact.
Rather than focusing on a single agency or program, the chief AI position is designed to span state government, working through ITS and its partner agencies to help guide how AI tools are selected, introduced and governed. The position reflects the state’s effort to bring more consistency to AI use as agencies explore a range of applications, from internal automation to public-facing services.
The job itself is still a new one. New York created the position of chief AI officer last year and appointed Shreya Amin, a longtime data and AI scientist, as its first occupant in late winter 2025. Amin arrived with nearly two decades of experience applying data and machine learning technologies in both public- and private-sector environments, and helped the state establish an initial framework for AI leadership at the executive level.
Her tenure was brief; by July, the position had reopened. In seeking Amin’s successor, the state outlined a position reporting to the executive deputy chief information officer and responsible for shaping how AI efforts are coordinated across ITS — an indication that the scope and structure of the job were still being refined.
Fournier-Tombs takes on the role as the state continues to develop how it functions. Most recently, she worked with the United Nations University, where she led anticipatory action and innovation initiatives, founded the organization’s first AI policy research lab and oversaw governance for predictive analytics systems used in crisis forecasting.
State officials pointed to that combination of policy expertise and applied experience in announcing the appointment. New York State Chief Information Officer Dru Rai said in a statement that Fournier-Tombs’ background positions her to help move AI efforts forward thoughtfully. Her leadership, he said, would support “the thoughtful and responsible adoption of emerging AI technologies in support of our goal of delivering meaningful benefits for all New Yorkers.”
Among Fournier-Tombs’ initial areas of focus are expanding AI education and access to generative AI tools for state employees, and building on a recent pilot training effort that included about 1,000 workers across different agencies. She will also oversee updates to the state’s Acceptable Use of AI Technologies policy, revisiting it as agency needs change and as AI systems become more advanced.
The role also involves the practical work of using AI in ways that improve services without introducing unnecessary risk — keeping people involved in decision-making while finding realistic ways to make government operations easier for employees.
Fournier-Tombs framed the work as an opportunity and a responsibility in a statement, indicating her focus will be on using AI in ways that are “impactful and accountable.” Her approach, she said, will emphasize strengthening services and operations while maintaining “the highest standards of ethics, equity and transparency.”
Officials named Stephen Graham as New York state’s new chief digital officer, a role focused on modernizing how government services are delivered online. Graham brings experience from the private sector and technology leadership roles, including founding a software engineering and data technology company and serving as a chief information officer. He has a graduate degree in computer science and AI.
Graham said he looks forward to helping make state services “easier, more intuitive, and more accessible,” while making sure technology investments deliver real value to residents, in a statement.
