An April report from Code for America analyzes the AI “journey” for all 50 states, from stage 1, Readiness, to stage 4, Impact. Government AI Landscape Analysis: The Government AI Journey: From Readiness to Public Value reveals each state’s progress for each of the four stages, including stage 2, Piloting, and stage 3, Implementation. The researchers evaluated states against a handful of metrics, such as executive orders, agency reports, as well as trade articles. The report identified the leading states shaping national AI adoption; for these states they found commonalities, like strong executive leadership, structured pilot programs and AI innovation labs.
The report noted widespread experimentation, with almost every state launching some form of AI pilot. However, they noted that only a small group of states embed AI into enterprise-scale workflows. “In many jurisdictions, AI deployments remain confined to narrow use cases such as fraud detection, document processing, or customer service chat assistants,” the report explains.
But the largest gap, the research shows, happens in the last stage of the journey: “measuring impact and learning from results.”
According to the report,” the AI journey reflects institutional growth;” the report defines the stages as:
In an April 28 GovTech interview with Washington CIO Bill Kehoe, he explains how artificial intelligence unlocks modernization. “AI plays a real part now in modernization,” Kehoe explains, “because we can use AI to extract business rules from our old systems. And that’s a huge improvement from the past. It used to take months or years to actually extract that data.” He continues that AI helps convert and analyze data, as well as improves customer service with chatbots. He calls AI “integral” to modernization—and a driver of that process.
In an April 20 letter to the Utah Department of Commerce, the Utah Medical Licensing Board strongly recommends the immediate suspension of an AI prescription program. According to the communication, on January 6, 2026, the State of Utah entered into an agreement to use AI to “automate routine, guideline-based prescription renewals” for Utah residents; the system allows renewals on medications previously prescribed by a licensed provider. The Board argues that overseeing prescriptions requires a licensed medical practitioner for safety and clinical reasons. The Board also contends that Utah failed to consult the Board. “It is imperative that professionals with medical backgrounds review all proposals prior to implementation to ensure these programs do not compromise patient safety. We must not allow AI or other financial motivations to override this obligation, yet that is precisely what occurred here.” The letter closes with a recommendation that “this program be immediately suspended pending further discussion.”
Renee Moseley joined GL Solutions in 2016 with an educational and professional background in research and writing, along with software documentation. At GL Solutions she produces informative content to help regulatory agencies stay current on news and information that supports their success.
