ITS News Update: Governor Reeves Issues Executive Order to Foster Stakeholder Collaboration and Harness Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Emerging Technologies

We strive to empower Mississippi government with proven, cost-effective solutions by not only keeping pace with technological advancements but also by strategically guiding their implementation, ensuring that state agencies can leverage the latest technologies to better serve the citizens of Mississippi.

Artificial Intelligence

Mississippi is taking proactive steps to embrace the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI), and the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) is playing a central role in this evolution. Underscoring this commitment, Governor Tate Reeves issued Executive Order No. 1584 on January 8, 2025. This landmark order, Mississippi's first pertaining to AI, directs ITS to take a leading role in understanding, evaluating, and guiding the state's responsible adoption of this technology. Governor Reeves stated that this order will "help to bring together stakeholders, as well as better protect Mississippians’ privacy, security and rights" as AI adoption becomes more widespread.

Following this significant step, the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) announced the launch of the ITS AI Innovation Hub on January 10, 2025. This groundbreaking initiative is designed to position Mississippi as a leader in AI innovation, education, and workforce development. The ITS AI Innovation Hub is a collaborative effort in partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the Mississippi Artificial Intelligence Network (MAIN).

Executive Order No. 1584 issues three primary directives to the Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services (ITS) regarding the state's approach to artificial intelligence (AI).

  • The first directive mandates ITS to conduct a comprehensive inventory of all AI technologies being planned, piloted, acquired, developed, and/or utilized by each state agency. To facilitate this process, ITS is instructed to develop a standardized form to be completed by each state agency. These completed forms will be protected under Miss. Code Ann. § 25-61 - 11.2. This inventory is a crucial first step in understanding the current landscape of AI usage within Mississippi state government.
  • The second directive requires ITS to evaluate the existing processes, guidelines (including procurement), and uses of AI currently in place at each state agency. This evaluation will allow ITS to gain insights into how AI is being implemented and managed across different governmental bodies, identifying potential areas for improvement or standardization.
  • The third directive tasks ITS with coordinating with state agencies to develop policy recommendations for the responsible use of AI. This includes establishing principles, guidelines, and criteria to govern the acquisition, development, and utilization of AI by state agencies. These policy recommendations are to be rooted in principles of fairness, innovation, privacy, security and safety, transparency, accountability, accessibility, validity, and reliability, with safeguards in place to protect against potential harms and risks.

Furthermore, the executive order also directs ITS to engage with public and private sector stakeholders to gather advice and recommendations on best practices, uses, and strategies related to AI. This collaborative approach aims to ensure the ethical, secure, and beneficial implementation of AI in a manner that builds public trust.

These directives underscore the State of Mississippi's commitment to a proactive and strategic approach to AI, with ITS playing a central role in fostering its responsible adoption. The executive order aims to balance the benefits of AI with the need to mitigate potential risks and harms while modernizing state services.

For more information about Mississippi's AI initiatives, please contact the ITS AI in Mississippi team at aim@its.ms.gov. The Mississippi Department of Information Technology Services is proud to lead the state's efforts in this exciting new era of technological innovation and digital transformation.