November 28, 2018 – The Little Hoover Commission issued Artificial Intelligence: A Roadmap for California. A competitive race is underway to develop and use AI technologies, which could increase the global economy by $13 trillion dollars.
Commission Chair Pedro Nava said, “Between now and 2030, AI technologies could have an economic impact in California of well more than $400 billion and anywhere from 1 to 11 million California jobs could be effected. Yet, California, the 5th largest economy in the world, bigger than the United Kingdom, India and France, isn’t truly engaged in the race to harness the opportunities of AI. France, Switzerland, Japan and even other U.S. states, like Indiana, Massachusetts and Vermont, have begun AI initiatives that exceed what our state has done. California can ill afford to be flatfooted in a global contest that may well define our future for the better or, if we are not prudent, perhaps the worse.”
The report urges policymakers to adopt an agenda that revolves around public engagement, building a human infrastructure, attacking pressing social needs, and protecting core values—autonomy, responsibility, privacy, transparency and accountability. The report also offers lawmakers a high-level plan with wide ranging recommendations, including:
- Building a state government infrastructure for the development and use of AI that promotes economic, social and environmental good;
- Ensuring AI education in California schools and institutions of higher education;
- Improving the state’s collection of data;
- Providing incentives for AI investment, research and development; and
- Promoting apprenticeships and training for those whose jobs may be displaced or transformed by AI, including state employees.