Harrisburg, PA – The 2026 Government AI Landscape Analysis by Code for America has placed Pennsylvania among the top states advancing AI from foundational readiness and pilots to effective implementation and impact for the second year in a row, improving how government operates and delivers services to its residents.
Code for America evaluated states based on their progress — early, developing, established, or advanced — across four key stages of AI development: readiness, piloting, implementation, and impact. This year, Pennsylvania received the highest rating possible for AI readiness (advanced) and was a top-rated state for AI piloting (established), implementation (established), and impact (established).
“Pennsylvania’s continued recognition as a national leader in responsible AI reflects the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to putting people first — from the residents who rely on our services to the Commonwealth employees who make those services possible,” said Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver. “Under Governor Shapiro’s leadership, we are demonstrating that innovation and safety can go together. By building strong governance, empowering employees, and investing in tools that improve how government works, we’re creating sustainable progress that positions Pennsylvania at the forefront of public-sector AI innovation.”
Over the past three years, Governor Shapiro has positioned Pennsylvania as a national leader in AI adoption and innovation while protecting consumers and keeping Pennsylvanians safe. In February, the Governor took bold action to protect Pennsylvanians using AI and hold bad actors accountable by launching an AI Literacy Toolkit, establishing an AI Task Force and reporting process within the Department of State, and coordinating with the state Attorney General to strengthen consumer protections. The Governor has also called upon the General Assembly to pass commonsense reforms to further protect Pennsylvanians from predatory AI.
“Early this year, Governor Shapiro directed the Department of State to hold developers of AI chatbots accountable if they mislead the public about the bots’ medical or mental health qualifications,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt said. “To help keep vulnerable Pennsylvanians safe, the Department established an easy way for people to report AI-powered bots they see engaging in medical or mental health practice: They can file a complaint about potentially illegal behavior at pa.gov/ReportABot.”
The report highlighted Pennsylvania’s strength in fostering a culture of AI experimentation through formal pilots of proposed use cases for evaluation, research, and learning before wider deployment. In addition to the Shapiro Administration’s groundbreaking pilot of ChatGPT Enterprise with Commonwealth employees, Pennsylvania has completed more than 50 pilots of AI use cases proposed by agencies and individual employees for practical applications such as automated summarization, routing assistance, and text generation. These pilots create clear pathways for broader adoption by identifying high value opportunities, documenting measurable benefits, and refining guardrails to ensure safe and ethical deployment.
“AI gives us the opportunity to rethink what’s possible in government technology,” said Commonwealth Chief Information Officer Bry Pardoe. “By integrating AI into our core IT strategy, we’re driving new efficiencies, strengthening service delivery, and opening the door to innovation across state government.”
As AI continues to evolve, the Shapiro Administration remains committed to advancing AI in ways that strengthen government performance while maintaining the safeguards needed to protect residents. By pairing innovation with responsibility, Pennsylvania continues to set a national example for how technology can be used to improve public services safely and effectively.
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