As state governments across the country grapple with the rapid deployment of artificial intelligence tools in public services, an Idaho-based think tank has published new research proposing a comprehensive governance framework.
The Institute for American Manufacturing & Technology (IAMT), founded by Patrick J. Wolf, PhD, has released a policy brief through its Aegis Institute arguing that states should establish Chief AI Officer positions within the executive branch to provide centralized oversight of AI adoption in government operations.
The brief, authored by Morgan Dixon and published under IAMT’s Aegis Institute for artificial intelligence and compute infrastructure, outlines how state agencies are already deploying AI tools for Medicaid eligibility screening, traffic management, document processing, and resource allocation — often without standardized procurement criteria or accountability structures.
The proposed framework calls for a state-level Chief AI Officer reporting to the governor, standardized evaluation criteria for AI systems used in government, mandatory algorithmic impact assessments for tools affecting public benefits or law enforcement, and transparency requirements so citizens understand when AI influences government decisions.
The research, titled “Architecting the Machine-Readable State: The Strategic Case for a State Chief AI Officer,” comes as Colorado, Connecticut, Texas, and other states have begun passing AI-related legislation, though most efforts focus on narrow applications rather than comprehensive governance.
Wolf, who oversees IAMT’s research agenda across its three divisions — the Aegis Institute (AI), the Atlas Institute (energy), and the Forge Policy Institute (manufacturing) — said the proposal reflects a broader concern about the pace of AI adoption outrunning institutional capacity to manage it responsibly.
About the authors:
Patrick J. Wolf, PhD, is an American strategist, policy researcher, and founder based in Post Falls, Idaho. He is the Executive Director of the Institute for American Manufacturing & Technology (IAMT), the publisher of American Star News, and the founder of Idaho Leaders and the American Founders Institute. Wolf holds a PhD in Strategic Media and Communications, an MBA, and a BS in Industrial Engineering. He is also a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. His full profile and published work are available at patrickjwolf.com.
Morgan Dixon is an entrepreneur, machine learning engineer, and community leader based in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. He is the founder of Imagination Initiative Inc., a nonprofit focused on providing technology access to low-income families across the Pacific Northwest. Dixon holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a Master’s in Machine Learning Engineering from Colorado State University, and is currently pursuing a PhD in Computer Science at the University of Idaho. He serves as a contractor and data scientist for the Oregon Health Authority under a SAMHSA grant supporting evaluation of the 988 data ecosystem.
The full research brief is available at iamtpolicy.org.