On Tuesday, Sept. 2,  Governor Josh Stein announced an Executive Order on artificial intelligence (AI) to ensure North Carolina’s leadership in AI literacy, governance and deployment. The executive order establishes an AI Leadership Council, an AI Accelerator within the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (NCDIT) and AI Oversight Teams within each state agency. The council will be chaired by Secretary of Information Technology Teena Piccione and Secretary of Commerce Lee Lilley. 

“AI has the potential to transform how we work and live, carrying with it both extraordinary opportunities and real risks,” said Governor Josh Stein in a press release. “Our state will be stronger if we are equipped to take on these challenges responsibly. I am looking forward to this council helping our state effectively deploy AI to enhance government operations, drive economic growth, and improves North Carolinians’ lives.”  

“I am honored to chair this council dedicated to strategically harnessing the exponential potential of AI for the benefit of North Carolina’s people, businesses, and communities,” said NCDIT Secretary Teena Piccione, co-chair of the Council in a press release. “The AI Accelerator, along with our other initiatives, puts us in a strong position to implement swift and transformative solutions that will not only position North Carolina at the forefront of technological innovation but also uphold the latest standards of data privacy and security.” 

“Artificial intelligence is reshaping the future of work and industry, and North Carolina has a unique opportunity to lead in this transformation,” said Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley, co-chair of the Council in a press release. “I’m honored to help guide the state’s AI strategy so we can unlock economic growth, attract innovation, and prepare our workforce for the jobs of tomorrow." 

With more industries moving to North Carolina, the demand for artificial intelligence has increased. The state is home to many large-scale AI projects, including Amazon’s new $10 billion AI innovation campus in Richmond County, as well as the FUJIFILM Diosynth facility in Holly Springs, which is the largest end-to-end biomanufacturing facility in North America. Growth in the AI sector is expected to cause shifts across industries and to place significant new demands on North Carolina’s energy grid. Proactive planning and preparation will be essential to promoting job growth and managing AI-related energy demands. AI is also being deployed by the State of North Carolina to improve government operations to identify unnecessary or overly burdensome regulations and to provide user-friendly AI agents to help North Carolinians navigate state services.  

The AI Leadership Council will advise and support the Governor and state agencies on AI strategy, policy and training to achieve the state’s goals of fostering innovation, advancing AI-driven industries, and preparing the workforce for the evolving technological landscape.  

In Executive Order 24, the Governor also established the North Carolina AI Accelerator within NCDIT to serve as a centralized hub for AI governance, research, partnership, development, implementation and training. The executive order also mandates an AI Oversight Team for each state agency and lays out parameters for an AI Literacy and Fraud Prevention Training Program for the general public. 

Click here to read Governor Stein’s executive order.  

Members of the AI Leadership Council:   

• Teena Piccione, Secretary of North Carolina Department of Information Technology and State CIO (Co-Chair) 
• Lee Lilley, Secretary of North Carolina Department of Commerce (Co-Chair) 
• Sen. Todd Johnson, NC Senate, District 35, Senate Majority Whip 
• Sen. DeAndrea Salvador, NC Senate, District 39 
• Rep. Zack Hawkins, NC House of Representatives, District 31 
• Rep. Jake Johnson, NC House of Representatives, District 113, House Deputy Majority Whip 
• Dr. David Yokum, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, North Carolina Office of State Budget and Management 
• Mary Penny Kelley, Chief of Staff, NC Office of State Human Resources 
• Kunal Choksi, Senior Deputy Attorney General, Consumer Protection Director at North Carolina Department of Justice 
• Vera Cubero, NC Emerging Technologies Consultant, Department of Public Instruction 
• Bryan Harris, Executive Vice President, Chief Technology Officer at SAS 
• Phaedra Boinodiris, Global Leader of Responsible AI at IBM Consulting  
• Marina Chase Carreker, Founder, Galleon Strategies 
• Igor Jablokov, Chairman, Pryon Inc. 
• Dr. Thomas Reardon, former VP, Research at Meta; Partner, Lux Capital  
• Dr. Stan Ahalt, Ph.D., Dean, School of Data Science and Society, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 
• The Hon. Tommy Sowers, Ph.D., Deputy Director, Duke Initiative for Science and Society 
• Dr. Andrea Crowley, Ph.D, Executive Director, NC Student Success Center, North Carolina Community Colleges 
• Dr. Siobahn Day Grady, Ph.D., Founding Director, Institute for Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Research & Associate Professor of Information Systems at North Carolina Central University 
• Dr. Angel Hsu, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Public Policy and Environment, Ecology and Energy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Founding Director, Data-Driven EnviroLab 
• Markell Storay, Chief Information Officer and Director of Innovation & Technology, City of Charlotte 
• The Hon. Shinica Thomas, Wake County Commissioner 
• Jennie Bowen, Workforce Development Director, Rivers East Workforce Development Board  
• Leslie Boney, Principal, BoneConnector.com; Former Director, Institute for Emerging Issues, NC State University