PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Governor Dan McKee will host the state's first-ever Artificial Intelligence Task Force meeting on Monday, July 15.
McKee signed an executive order in February establishing the task force, which will analyze and inform “the risks and opportunities presented by advances in AI.”
“Embracing AI and finding safe methods and practices for deploying it in our government and economy is critical to the future of our state,” Governor McKee said in a press release on Friday. “With this task force and other ongoing efforts, Rhode Island is poised to improve the lives of Rhode Islanders and chart a new course in the field of innovation technology.”
The 24-member task force is led by former Congressman Jim Langevin, who also serves as director of the Cybersecurity and Emerging Technology Institute at the University of Rhode Island.
Chris Parisi, president of Trailblaze Marketing, will serve as vice chair.
The remaining 22 members of the task force are:
- Jonathan Womer, Administrative Director
- Matthew Weldon, Secretary of Labor and Training
- Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce Liz Tanner
- Secretary of Health and Human Services Richard Charest
- Brian Tardif, Chief Digital Officer
- Emergency Management Agency Director Mark Pappas
- Elizabeth Kelleher Dwyer, Director of Business Regulation
- RI Education Commissioner Angelica Infante-Green
- Dr. Shannon Gilkey, Executive Director of the Higher Education Commissioner
- Francis Doyle III, President of Brown University
- State Senator Louis DiPalma
- State Rep. Jacqueline Baginski
- North Providence Mayor Charles Lombardi
- Trade union representative Michael Sabitoni
- Christopher Holbert, Citizens Bank, Finance/Banking
- Kenneth Genos, General Dynamics Electric Boat, Defense Division
- John Hazen White Jr., Taco Comfort, Manufacturing
- Dr. Michael Wagner, Health Care Division, Care New England
- Edmund Shallcross III, CEO of Amica
- Nina Pande, Skills for RI, Workforce Development Division
- Addison Heffernan, Bishop Hendricken, Student Representative
- Oscar Mejias, Rhode Island Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Nonprofit Sector
“The diverse perspectives of the task force members will enable us to develop a comprehensive roadmap for Rhode Island to effectively and ethically adopt artificial intelligence,” Langevin said. “Our work fulfills Governor McKee's vision for the Maritime State to be best positioned to maximize the benefits and minimize the drawbacks of AI.”
The meeting will be held in the Executive Branch at 3 p.m.
