Government Technology/David Kidd
The state’s AI Innovation Lab, nearing completion, will serve as a collaborative environment for agencies and partners to explore use cases and achieve “quick wins,” particularly in artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, according to Thomas.
“Last July, we issued a [request for qualifications and concept] RFQC and received about 70 vendor responses,” she said. “We’ve since selected our partners and are finalizing contracts for the innovation lab.”
Located on the seventh floor of the Georgia Technology Authority (GTA) building, the lab is expected to open toward the end of January. The Georgia Technology Authority is planning a grand opening, the state CIO said, and Gov. Brian Kemp may cut the ribbon on the new space.
To enhance transparency and further centralize AI initiatives digitally, Georgia launched ai.georgia.gov in December. The platform is a dual resource, offering the public a front-row seat to the state’s AI advancements while providing state agencies access to an extensive selection of vetted AI tools.
“You know, most agencies want to use these tools, and our job is not to say, you can’t use a tool. It is to vet that tool, analyze the tool, and put that tool on our website to say, 'Hey, this is a tool that we have vetted, and you can go ahead and use it,'” Thomas said. “We want to ensure we’re doing our due diligence in the tool sets.”
The website has resources including details about the state’s AI Advisory Council, a comprehensive glossary of AI terms for agency use, and clear definitions of ethical AI practices and standards tailored for Georgia. Thomas revealed that the GTA is also working on an AI Ethical Concerns playbook she hopes will be ready for publication in the next 30 days.
“AI will enhance services by automating mundane tasks and enabling more efficient data analytics,” Thomas said. “However, our data must be in top shape to leverage AI effectively.”
To accomplish this, the CIO said Georgia is recruiting for a chief data officer to centralize its data efforts, establish guardrails and promote data-sharing agreements among agencies.
“AI itself isn’t inherently bad — it’s about how people choose to use it. Transparency and regular discussions help ease fears and build trust,” she explained. Beyond AI, Thomas said modernization remains a priority this year.
“One of our biggest things here is, we’ve got a lot of aging systems. We’re trying to modernize and upgrade those systems to make things easier for our citizens, easy to get these services that we provide,” she emphasized. “We’ve got a big modernization of child support that we're working on now in the RFP phase, and updating our professional standards for teacher certification platform.”
Upcoming legislative efforts could further shape Georgia’s technology landscape, building on the success of the Technology Empowerment Fund, which strengthened the execution of large-scale enterprise projects across state agencies.
“The Technology Empowerment Fund really helped with collaboration and allowing the GTA to have oversight of all of the big enterprise projects,” the CIO said. “We hold the funding, so we’re able to lend resources and help agencies from start to finish. That could be from looking at business cases to helping with writing requirements, helping to look at RFPs and get the RFPs out there, scoring those RFPs, and then working with our agencies step by step, working daily to implement those projects.”
On the state’s digital equity front, Georgia recently went through final approval for a Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration grant. The $22.45 million award will go to four critical areas: broadband adoption, digital literacy, device access and deploying digital navigators to assist residents.
Thomas highlighted her excitement for Georgia’s AI initiatives and the potential of the upcoming legislative session, but said she considers her greatest achievement as CIO so far to be fostering a collaborative spirit among her colleagues.
“The most significant achievement is the excitement that I have been able to generate with the staff here at GTA, with the agencies, with our legislative partners, the collaborations that we’ve been able to come together and do,” she said. “If you’re not excited about what you do and where you work, you’re not going to do a good job. So, for me, it is being able to generate that excitement.”
