California’s step towards becoming an AI-driven state

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has announced a new Generative AI program that reduces the state’s biggest human burden by reducing the state’s biggest human burden. California continues to invest in technology strength.

Part of the leader’s executive order on AI, which directs the implementation of new technologies in the name of efficiency, three new agreements will make state investments in some of the industry’s most popular production AI technologies, aiming to reduce highway congestion, improve road safety, and improve customer service in state call centers.

“Genai is here, and it’s getting more and more important every day. We know that state governments can be more effective, and that it’s natural for California to lead in this field as the birthplace of technology,” Newsom said. “In the Golden State, we know that efficiency doesn’t just mean reducing services to save bucks, but building and perfecting our state government to better serve all Californians.”

Specifically, the California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) will use Microsoft’s Azure Open AI to process and analyze traffic data to “reduce traffic congestion, enhance incident response and improve transit reliability.” It will also leverage Google’s Gemini AI under a contract with Deloitte Consulting to mitigate traffic accidents and recommend safety solutions. Meanwhile, support call center workers, part of the California Department of Tax and Fees Management (CDTFA), will now have access to human Claude, based on previous pilots, responsible for reducing customer call time.

California has previously worked with NVIDIA to implement AI solutions and provides technical training and education to students and workers. In this week’s announcement, Newsom (sentence against federal leaders) reiterated that adoption of new technologies will not replace state staff, but will support employees in a new partnership and work with SEIU Local 1000 to represent public service unions for California employees.

But California has also come under fire for the rapid adoption of AI, including using generative AI to write sections of the state attorney bar exam.

According to the announcement, after the success of the second phase, the state will turn to implementing AI to implement housing, labor programs and bill analysis.