Harrisburg, PA - One year after Governor Josh Shapiro unveiled the findings of a first-in-the-nation pilot of ChatGPT Enterprise with Commonwealth employees, the Shapiro Administration has expanded the use of generative AI tools to over 3,000 state employees across 35 agencies and deployed AI-enabled technologies to deliver better, faster services to Pennsylvanians.
These accomplishments demonstrate the Shapiro Administration’s ongoing commitment to safe, human-centered AI expansion, first laid out in Governor Shapiro’s 2023 executive order on generative AI in the Commonwealth and bolstered by recent actions to protect Pennsylvanians from AI fraud, misinformation, and unlicensed activity.
“AI is evolving quickly, and it’s opening doors to entirely new ways of solving problems and improving the services people rely on. We’re focused on making sure these opportunities translate into real benefits for residents and our workforce,” said Secretary of Administration Neil Weaver. “Our early pilot showed what’s possible when innovation is supported by strong governance and thoughtful implementation. As AI continues to advance, the Commonwealth is committed to responsible adoption that empowers employees, strengthens our systems, and helps us deliver faster, clearer, and more accessible service for every Pennsylvanian.”
The Commonwealth’s year-long pilot of ChatGPT Enterprise demonstrated clear benefits when AI is deployed with strong governance and an employee-centered approach. Over the course of 12 months, 175 employees across 14 agencies reported an average 95 minutes saved per day while using AI to assist them with tasks such as drafting communications, summarizing materials, conducting research, and brainstorming — while reinforcing that human review and expertise remain essential. For example, human resources staff used generative AI to swiftly analyze the requirements for jobs prioritized by state agencies and identify comparable positions in the federal workforce to help fill critical vacancies with former federal employees.
Based on the success of the pilot, the Office of Administration (OA) has expanded access to approved generative AI tools to thousands more employees, strengthened guardrails through the Generative AI Governing Board and clear policies and guidelines, and expanded training available through InnovateUS. There are now more than 3,000 Commonwealth employees using generative AI tools, with an additional 6,500 employees enrolled in training on safe and responsible AI as a requirement for use.
Commonwealth agencies are also exploring opportunities to integrate specialized AI capabilities to improve customer experience for Pennsylvanians.
- Document Processing - The Department of Human Services is using AI to scan documents uploaded by clients and inform them of potential issues with blurriness, image quality, and relevance. Since its launch in October 2025, nearly 400,000 documents have been scanned, with approximately 30 percent flagged for issues that could delay processing. This use of AI reduces the time spent by caseworkers trying to decipher poor scans or working with clients to resubmit. The Board of Pardons is using AI to assist with transferring information from handwritten applications for clemency into the Board’s online tracking system.
- Customer Service - The Department of Labor & Industry rebuilt its chatbots for unemployment compensation benefits for workers and unemployment compensation taxes for employers in June 2025 with AI that can match a wider range of user phrasing to preapproved, curated responses. These chatbots do not generate novel answers; instead, they escalate to a live representative whenever a question falls outside approved content. Since its relaunch, the number of customers whose interactions were handled entirely by the UC benefits chatbot increased by approximately 65 percent.
Additional deployments of AI for document processing and customer service chatbots are underway. OA is also actively exploring the use of AI capabilities to assist with application modernization and coding.
“AI is now part of a broader shift in how we design services, modernize systems, and simplify experiences through CODE PA and our IT modernization work. By combining innovation with thoughtful guardrails and human-centered design, we’re making government easier to navigate and giving our workforce better tools to serve Pennsylvanians,” said Bry Pardoe, Chief Information Officer for the Commonwealth. “We’re excited about what generative AI can unlock, but we’re equally committed to rolling it out carefully and intentionally.”
OA is also working to create program-specific training, policy, and guidance for staff and recently published guidance on the use of generative AI in the hiring process, providing added clarity and transparency to job seekers and hiring managers. They limit generative AI to activities such as drafting, practicing, and summarizing, and explicitly prohibit its use to make hiring decisions or answer interview questions. OA also hosted workshops for Commonwealth recruiters with experts from LinkedIn, Glassdoor, and Indeed focused on using AI to craft job postings and other recruitment communications that are clear, inclusive, and accessible.
This month also marks one year since Governor Shapiro created the Generative AI Labor and Management Collaboration Group. Comprised of employees represented by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 668 and management from the Department of Human Services, the group meets regularly to give employees a greater voice in shaping ongoing AI adoption and integration into government operations. For example, last year members engaged in discussions around how AI can assist with their duties as case workers. DHS and OA incorporated this input into a suite of enhancements to COMPASS to improve customer service, reduce Pennsylvania’s SNAP error rate, and process applications faster.
The Shapiro Administration has consistently emphasized that generative AI is not a replacement for the knowledge and experience of Commonwealth employees. This commitment is reflected in the values of the Governor's Executive Order, the Generative AI Governing Board, the employee-focused pilot of ChatGPT enterprise, and the Generative AI Labor and Management Collaboration Group, which will continue evaluating AI use cases while keeping employee perspectives central to decision-making.
Governor Shapiro’s proactive, people-first approach has earned national recognition. A recent Code for America report ranked Pennsylvania as one of the top states in the nation for AI leadership, capacity building, and technical readiness and citing the Governor’s Executive Order, the ChatGPT Enterprise pilot, and collaborations with Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pennsylvania, and InnovateUS as model practices for other states. The Shapiro Administration strengthened its collaboration with InnovateUS earlier this year by helping to launch The Prompting Lab, a weekly hands-on practice space for public sector employees to build practical generative AI skills.
The Shapiro Administration will continue to lead the way for safe and responsible AI to empower workers, enhance Commonwealth programs, and protect Pennsylvanians by:
- Continuing to expand training and guided adoption for employees.
- Adding agency pilots and scaling proven, mission-aligned use cases.
- Sustaining strong oversight through OA, with guidance by the Generative AI Governing Board and ongoing engagement with stakeholders.
- Advancing consumer safeguards and supporting AI literacy for parents, caregivers, and professionals.
Pennsylvania’s approach to AI continues to balance innovation with responsibility, combining strong governance with practical tools that make a difference in people’s lives. The Administration’s next phase of work will deepen training, elevate employee voices, and scale effective use cases to ensure the Commonwealth remains a national leader in thoughtful, people-first AI adoption.
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