NC Treasurer announces OpenAI pilot program in state government

North Carolina State Treasurer Brad Briner announced Thursday that his office has entered into a 12-week agreement with Open AI that he says will modernize systems and streamline data processes while providing more efficient and effective services to taxpayers and local governments while saving money.

The announcement took place in the North Carolina Central University Student Center in Durham, the AI hub for area HBCUs. The university will also open its Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Equity Research in May, which will help train people how to use OpenAI in the workforce to make things more efficient.

“This partnership is just not about technology for technology’s sake, it’s about ensuring that artificial intelligence is developed and deployed in ways that are ethical, safe, and have a lasting positive impact, said NC Central University Provost Ontario Wooden. “It’s about harnessing AI to make our government more responsive, more transparent, and more forward-looking in the face of many challenges and opportunities of the 21st century.”

Briner said since taking office less than three months ago, his team has been finding new ways to modernize their office, and technology is an important part of that.

“Efficiency, effectiveness, and return on investment,” he told the audience. “These are things everyone should expect from government. We’re happy to say there are top priorities of the Department of State Treasurer.”

protecting personal data

Briner stressed that there is a bright red line where private, personal data, such as health records in the State Health Plan, cannot be used due to HIPPA regulations and other privacy issues.

Instead, his office will use OpenAI in matters involving their State and Local Government Finance Division and Unclaimed Property Division since that information is publicly available.  

Normally, local governments send the Division several pages of information, such as audits and financial disclosures, to sort through to ensure their debt is under control.

OpenAI will be able to help summarize reports, identify warning signs in local government financial audits, or do deep data searches for unclaimed property, mainly for businesses with a special research tab, while allowing those in the department to focus on higher-level strategic decision making and financial stewardship.

“We have 1100 towns, counties, municipalities in the state, and we can do an even better job of making sure that they are not in financial trouble, that we spot warning signs in advance,” he told reporters after the announcement.

setting up safeguards

Briner also stressed that OpenAI isn’t replacing human expertise or taking jobs away in the short term. It is augmenting the office’s capabilities and enabling them to make more informed data-driven decisions to get money out to local govenments that need to make quick decisions.

There is also a safeguard in place, a special “button” that will keep any information the treasurer’s office receives private and internal and will not go out into the world of AI for public viewing.

He also said that his office has looked at and considered the framework that the North Carolina Department of Information Technology released for state agencies using AI and has consulted with them.

In addition, he is aware of other departments in the state that are considering using OpenAI to find different solutions to issues.

The twelve-week memorandum of understanding is being offered for free.

“We think partnerships like this are going to show the benefits of technology serve all humanity, Ronnie Chatterji, Chief Economist for OpenAI told reporters.

Chatterji, a Durham native, was the 2020 Democratic candidate for state treasurer. He lost to former Republican treasurer Dale Folwell.   

“When you get into the hands of innovative state leaders like the Treasurer and people who are on his team who are adopting this technology, you are going to see the great benefits, and that’s great for OpenAI, great for Chat GPT, and great for the mission that we have as an organization,” he said.

Chatterji told the audience that North Carolina is already a leader in AI and is in the top ten states in terms of usage of its platform, with the number one use being in education and learning.

“We have a fantastic set of universities and higher education institutions, our Community College systems,” he said. “Places like North Carolina Central they’re leading the way with their new AI institute. When we think about the future, it’s going to be based on generative AI-associated technologies, and when I look around the country, I can’t see any state that’s going to be as well positioned as North Carolina.”

Chatterji added that the state positioned itself well, making it a great place to live.

“One of the reasons is our economy has been growing for a long time, and it goes back to the investments that we made in the 60s and 70s in the Research Triangle Park and places around the state, he said.” “What did it take to make those investments? It wasn’t just one business. It wasn’t just one university. It wasn’t just one person in government. It was a collective effort that laid the foundation for our great state.”

Briner told reporters that if the twelve-week agreement proves to be advantageous for the state, they will have further discussions on the next steps for future use in the treasurer’s office.

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