Texas appoints members to AI advisory council

Four members have been appointed to Texas’ first Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, which will study and monitor how the Lone Star State develops, uses and procures AI technology.

The seven-member council will also determine if the state needs a code of ethics for artificial intelligent (AI) systems used by the government. It will also recommend administrative actions state agencies may take without additional legislative authorization.

State lawmakers created the council during last year’s regular legislative session. State Rep. Giovanni Capriglione and Sen. Tan Parker authored the bill and will co-chair the council. Texas Chief Information Officer and Department of Information Resources (DIR) Executive Director Amanda Crawford is also a member.

“At a time when the use of AI is rapidly evolving, it’s imperative that we understand how this technology can benefit the public sector. However, we must also ensure we take necessary precautions and implement guardrails to leverage this technology responsibly,” Crawford said in a statement.

The four other appointees are:

Austin lawyer John Bash, founder and co-managing partner of the Austin office of Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and co-chair of the firm’s national appellate practice.
Texas A&M University System Chief Information Officer Mark Stone, Ph.D.
Austin-based cybersecurity expert Dean Teffer, Ph.D., who was a vice president of shuttered cybersecurity vendor IronNet Cybersecurity.
Angela Wilkins, Ph.D., executive director at Rice University’s Ken Kennedy Institute, which focuses on artificial intelligence, data and computing research.

The council requires Texas state agencies to complete an inventory report by July 1, 2024, that describes the automated systems they developed, employed or procured. The council will review the inventories and include a summary of its findings and any policy recommendations in a report due to the Texas Legislature by Dec. 1, 2024.

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