Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Apr. 6 the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) education and training to all New York State employees, fulfilling a pledge made in her 2025 State of the State address. This initiative will make New York the largest state to provide secure access to this technology for its entire workforce, which includes over 100,000 employees.
The move is aimed at helping state workers use AI responsibly to improve services for residents. Governor Hochul said, “We are putting New York at the forefront of the AI revolution, ensuring that the journey forward is safe and responsible. I’m excited to fulfill our vision of embracing innovation, upskilling our employees and better serving New Yorkers.”
The new program builds on a recent pilot managed by the Office of Information Technology Services (ITS), where more than 1,200 users across eight agencies participated in AI training and used a generative AI assistant tool called AI Pro. According to results from this pilot: seventy-five percent of participants saved time using AI Pro; ninety percent felt their understanding of AI improved; participants generated over 170,000 prompts; and eighty-six percent wanted continued access after the pilot ended.
AI training will be provided through InnovateUS, an online platform that has trained over 200,000 public sector learners globally. The two-part course focuses on responsible use as a public employee. Accompanying this is ITS’s secure generative tool powered by Google Gemini. Responsible use training will be required for agencies choosing to adopt AI Pro.
Dru Rai, Chief Information Officer and Director of ITS, said: “Governor Hochul has been a national leader without peer when it comes to leveraging technology to enhance productivity in government… we know that responsible AI will bring us limitless possibilities.” InnovateUS Founder Beth Noveck added: “By equipping its workforce with practical AI and digital skills through InnovateUS, New York will be positioned to deliver better… services for its residents.” Elizabeth Moon from Google Public Sector also praised the initiative’s focus on responsibility.
Pilot participants came from various backgrounds within eight agencies such as Labor, Health and Homeland Security departments. Many had no prior experience with generative tools or formal training but reported increased confidence after participating. They found uses ranging from summarizing reports to creating data dashboards while emphasizing human oversight.
This effort is part of Governor Hochul’s broader agenda promoting technology growth in New York State—including launching Empire AI at SUNY Buffalo—and follows recommendations by an advisory board co-chaired by IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Girls Who Code CEO Dr. Tarika Barrett. Recent investments include GlobalFoundries’ $11.6 billion chip campus expansion and Micron’s $100 billion megafab project.