On November 29, 2023, Oregon Governor, Tina Kotek announced the formation of the Oregon State Government AI Advisory Council (the Council). In particular, the Council is tasked with developing recommendations for the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) across state government.

What will the Council do?

According to the Governor, the Council will recommend an action plan framework for maximizing AI's benefits and establishing governance and standards to address risks, privacy, ethics, and equity, aiming to create clear AI usage policies that ensure transparency and protect personally identifiable information and other sensitive information.

Further, the Governor stated that the Council must submit an initial recommended action plan to the Governor's Office within six months of its first meeting, followed by a final action plan within 12 months of its initial convening.

Who will be on the Council?

The Governor explained that the Council will consist of a maximum of 15 members, including:

• the Oregon State Chief Information Officer (who will chair the Council);
• the Oregon State Chief Data Officer;
• a representative from the Governor's Racial Justice Council;
• the Department of Administrative Services Cultural Change Officer;
• an agency representative appointed by the Governor; and
• eight additional members, which may include community organizations with expertise in data justice, AI experts from Oregon universities, and representatives from local governments.

Additionally, the Governor highlighted that the President of the Senate would appoint one member of the Oregon State Senate and the Speaker of the House would appoint one member of the Oregon House of Representatives to join the Council. The Governor clarified that the full membership of the Council and meeting times would be announced at a later date.

You can read the press release here.