Governor Josh Shapiro joined leaders from OpenAI, Carnegie Mellon University, and Pennsylvania’s labor community to unveil the results of the Commonwealth’s first-in-the-nation Generative AI Pilot Program. The findings revealed that employees had a highly positive experience, reporting an average time savings of 95 minutes per day while using ChatGPT for writing, research, summarization, and IT support.

The pilot underscored the importance of human oversight, demonstrated AI’s potential to streamline government operations, and showed that Commonwealth employees across various roles, ages, and demographics benefited from the tool. Employees across multiple roles — including human resources, information technology, policy, and program management — benefited from the tool, helping them work more efficiently and focus on more complex, high-value tasks.

Launched as part of the Shapiro Administration’s commitment to responsibly integrating artificial intelligence into government operations, the pilot program provided state employees with access to ChatGPT Enterprise to enhance efficiency, streamline workflows, and improve the delivery of services for Pennsylvanians.

“Pennsylvania is leading the way in responsibly integrating AI into government by giving Commonwealth employees access to tools that enhance efficiency while ensuring people remain at the center of decision-making,” said Shapiro. “This pilot program showed that when used thoughtfully, generative AI can help employees save time, streamline processes, and improve services for Pennsylvanians. But let me be clear — AI will never replace our workers. Instead, we’re equipping them with the best tools to do what they do best: get stuff done for Pennsylvanians.”

A First-in-the-Nation AI Pilot Program 

The governor signed Executive Order 2023-19 in September 2023, establishing Pennsylvania as a leader in responsible AI adoption. The order set clear principles for generative AI use in government — prioritizing accuracy, transparency, security, fairness, and employee empowerment — and created the Generative AI Governing Board to oversee AI policy and implementation in the Commonwealth.

In January 2024, Pennsylvania launched its first-in-the-nation pilot program in partnership with OpenAI to explore how generative AI could enhance productivity across state government. The Office of Administration (OA) collaborated with leading generative AI experts and researchers from the Carnegie Mellon University Block Center for Technology and Society throughout the pilot.

Over the course of a year, 175 employees from 14 agencies used ChatGPT Enterprise to test AI’s impact. Nearly half of the participants, 48 percent, had never used ChatGPT before, yet over 85 percent reported a “somewhat positive” or “very positive” experience — demonstrating strong employee buy-in and the tool’s accessibility across different roles.

The results of the pilot, collected through biweekly feedback sessions, user interviews, and live demonstrations, showed significant benefits:

• Time Savings: Employees reported saving an average of 95 minutes per day on administrative tasks, such as drafting emails, summarizing lengthy documents, and navigating complex bureaucratic processes.
• Enhanced Efficiency: AI-assisted work helped employees improve hiring timelines, streamline procurement, more quickly analyze contracts, and research new policies faster.
• Human Oversight Remains Essential: Employees emphasized that AI augments human expertise rather than replacing it, reinforcing the importance of human review and judgment.
• Training and Adoption: Early challenges — including a learning curve and workflow adjustments — highlighted the need for robust training to help employees successfully integrate generative AI tools into their daily work. While targeted training and implementation strategies helped address some barriers, ongoing support and adaptation remain essential for maximizing AI’s effectiveness in government operations.

“This first-in-the-nation pilot was led by Governor Josh Shapiro, powered by talented Pennsylvanians and shaped by some of the world’s finest scientists and engineers here at Carnegie Mellon University and OpenAI,” said Carnegie Mellon University President Farnam Jahanian. “It is a remarkable collaboration and one that underscores the immense capacity and inevitable necessity of AI in helping governments operate more efficiently, effectively and responsively.”

“We appreciate Governor Shapiro’s leadership in ensuring workers have a voice when it comes to innovation and new technology, and his efforts in ensuring workers have the tools to succeed at work. Generative AI is exactly that – a tool. It’s important that AI is used ethically, with a human hand at the wheel to ensure those risks are mitigated,” said Steve Catanese, President of SEIU Local 668. “Alongside the principles announced today, the Governor is entering into an agreement that will provide forward-thinking protections for both public employees and citizens of Pennsylvania. No matter how sophisticated technology becomes, the public will still be able to connect with skilled, trained Pennsylvania employees to guide them through times of need.”

“In Pennsylvania, we are not just focused on what AI can offer but on understanding when and where it is the most effective tool to address the challenges we already face. For many pilot participants, ChatGPT provided the extra support they needed — helping an IT project manager streamline software upgrades, a policy analyst condenses hundreds of pages into clear summaries, a developer debug code efficiently, and a project manager improve stakeholder communications. Even a once-skeptical HR professional now relies on it daily,” said Harrison MacRae, Director of Emerging Technologies at OA. “These tools have empowered employees, enhancing their ability to serve Pennsylvanians. After this pilot, the Commonwealth is better prepared to navigate AI’s responsible use, and I remain committed to engaging our workforce in a human-centered way as this technology evolves.”