Executive Order No. 24: Advancing Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence That Benefits All North Carolinians

 

September 2, 2025

 

Executive Order No. 24

Advancing Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence That Benefits All North Carolinians

 

Whereas, synthetic intelligence (“AI”) is a transformational and quickly evolving expertise impacting numerous aspects of North Carolina’s financial system and communities – presenting extraordinary alternatives and new dangers for North Carolinians; and

 

Whereas, the State of North Carolina is dedicated to raised serving all North Carolinians by successfully and responsibly deploying AI; and

 

Whereas, the Governor is dedicated to making sure that each one North Carolinians profit from the expansion and use of AI; and

 

Whereas, AI presents transformative alternatives to boost authorities operations and drive financial progress; and

 

Whereas, North Carolina is dedicated to fostering innovation, advancing AI-driven industries, and getting ready its workforce for the evolving technological panorama and is uniquely positioned to attain these targets as a prime state for enterprise and a nationwide hub for world-class tutorial and coaching establishments; and

 

Whereas, the accountable and moral deployment of AI is important to make sure transparency, accountability, and the safety of civil liberties in authorities operations and decision-making; and

 

Whereas, the Governor affirms that the civil rights, privateness, and safety of all North Carolinians are paramount as use of AI expands in our financial system, faculties, well being care programs, authorities, and every day life; and

 

Whereas, the uncertainty round AI programs and their related vitality and water wants is creating new challenges for the way North Carolina can preserve an satisfactory and dependable electrical energy and water provide whereas not unfairly elevating prices for ratepayers or leaving North Carolinians liable for the prices of pointless or underutilized infrastructure; and

 

Whereas, in August 2024, the North Carolina Department of Information Technology (“NCDIT”) printed the North Carolina State Government Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence Framework, which consists of ideas, practices, and steering to state businesses as they deploy AI whereas decreasing privateness and information safety dangers and defending delicate information offered to the state by North Carolinians; and

 

Whereas, NCDIT continues to develop strong AI security and information governance insurance policies that allow modern AI capabilities, making certain safety, transparency, and accountability in all state-supported IT programs, and helps AI literacy for state staff, educators, and communities to construct public belief and grow to be a state chief in workforce AI literacy; and

 

Whereas, pursuant to N.C. Gen. Stat. 143B-1450(j), the NCDIT is allowed to function an Information Technology Innovation Center to develop and exhibit expertise options to profit the state and its residents; and

 

Whereas, pursuant to Article III of the North Carolina Constitution and N.C. Gen. Stat. 143A-4 and 143B-4, the Governor is the chief government officer of the state and is liable for formulating and administering the insurance policies of government department of state authorities; and 

 

Whereas, pursuant to N.C. Gen. State 147-12, the Governor has the authority and the obligation to supervist the official conduct of all government and ministerial officers. 

 

Now, due to this fact, pursuant to the authority vested in me as Governor by the Constitution and the legal guidelines of the State of North Carolina, it’s ordered:

 

Section 1: North Carolina AI Leadership Council

A.    Establishment and Purpose.

The North Carolina AI Leadership Council (hereinafter “Council”) is hereby established. The objective of the Council is to advise and assist the Governor and state businesses on AI technique, coverage, and coaching to make sure North Carolina turns into a nationwide chief in AI literacy, governance, and deployment to the good thing about our residents, communities, and financial system.

B.    Membership.

The Council will encompass twenty-five (25) members (or extra, per the Governor’s discretion), appointed by the Governor. Members ought to signify the range of all stakeholders who can be impacted by the altering AI panorama. Council members will serve a time period of two (2) years and could also be reappointed to successive phrases. Vacancies shall be crammed by the Governor and members appointed to fill vacancies shall serve for the rest of the unexpired time period. Council members serve on the pleasure of the Governor. 

1.     The Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, who shall function Co-Chair of the Council;

2.     The Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Commerce or designee, who shall function Co-Chair of the Council;

3.     Four representatives from the personal sector with important expertise within the improvement or software of synthetic intelligence applied sciences;

4.     One consultant with experience in vitality or different essential infrastructure programs;

5.     The Chief Scientist of the Office of State Budget and Management;

6.     Four representatives from establishments of upper training with demonstrated experience in synthetic intelligence (at the very least one consultant from a UNC System establishment, one consultant from an NC Independent College or University, and one from the North Carolina Community College System);

7.     One consultant from the North Carolina Department of Justice;

8.     One consultant from the Okay–12 training group;

9.     One consultant from a neighborhood workforce improvement board;

10.  One member representing the pursuits of customers; 

11.  One consultant from native authorities;

12.  Four members of the North Carolina General Assembly;

13.  And any further members to be added on the Governor’s discretion.

 

C.    Duties.

The Council shall have the next duties, with an preliminary set of deliverables due by June 30, 2026, and an ongoing duty to advise, replace, and assist thereafter.

1.     Create a beneficial State AI Strategic Roadmap, making certain alignment with statewide aims and rising AI developments.

2.     Recommend further AI coverage, governance, and ethics frameworks that promote security, transparency, equity, and privateness.

3.     Recommend an AI literacy technique for the state that can improve public understanding, talent improvement, and efficient utilization of AI.

4.     Champion collaboration and facilitate partnerships throughout the general public sector, personal entities, and tutorial establishments that drive AI analysis, improvement, and utilization to proceed to make North Carolina a pretty vacation spot for AI companies.

5.     Provide strategic steering to the AI Accelerator, established in Section 2, to make sure its alignment with aims recognized within the State AI Strategic Roadmap after it’s established.

6.     Provide steering on safeguarding public security and significant infrastructure from AI-related dangers, together with danger administration methods and protocols to forestall misuse or failure in high-impact programs.

7.     Track present and projected labor market impacts due, or probably due, to AI and supply steering to workforce improvement companions to proactively put together the state’s workforce.

8.     Provide AI workforce suggestions to the Department of Commerce to contemplate as AI matters and targets are included into the Strategic Economic Development plan.

9.     Provide AI workforce suggestions to the Governor’s Council on Workforce and Apprenticeships to contemplate as AI matters and targets are included into its strategic plan.

10.  Provide enter to the North Carolina Energy Policy Task Force to assist assess the vitality and water consumption and environmental impacts of elevated use of AI applied sciences and potential added AI infrastructure in North Carolina.

The Council shall submit an annual AI Strategic Recommendation to the Governor by June 30 of every 12 months, outlining progress, challenges, and strategic suggestions. This report shall incorporate enter from public listening classes, stakeholder engagement, or different group suggestions mechanisms to make sure transparency and public belief.

D.    Meetings.

The Council shall convene quarterly for in-person conferences. Ad hoc classes could also be referred to as by the Chair or Governor as wanted. A easy majority of Council members shall represent quorum for the aim of transacting the enterprise of the Council. Recommendations and deliverables shall require a two-thirds majority vote.

The Council might set up subcommittees or work teams to deal with particular matters equivalent to ethics, workforce improvement, AI infrastructure, or others as wanted; such subcommittees might convene on an advert hoc foundation as decided by their respective chairs or the Council.

E.    Administration.

NCDIT shall function workers and administrative assist companies for the Leadership Council.

Members shall serve with out compensation however might obtain vital journey and subsistence bills in accordance with State regulation and insurance policies and laws of the Office of State Budget and Management.

Section 2: North Carolina AI Accelerator

A.    Establishment and Purpose.

The North Carolina AI Accelerator (hereinafter “the Accelerator”) is hereby established inside NCDIT to function the State’s centralized hub for AI governance, analysis, partnership, improvement, implementation, and coaching.

B.    Duties.

The Accelerator shall promote reliable AI use, transparency, information privateness, and accountable AI improvement by means of strategic oversight of state AI efforts. This shall embody:

i)      The identification and standardization of state-wide definitions for AI and Generative AI.

ii)    The improvement of an AI Governance Framework outlining ideas for accountable AI use, together with equity, accountability, transparency, safety, privateness, and the safety of civil liberties, to make sure constant reliable AI use for state authorities.

iii)  The improvement of a risk-assessment framework for AI use instances that businesses shall use when submitting use case proposals.

The Accelerator shall even be liable for accelerating AI implementation inside state authorities operations by reviewing, prioritizing, and piloting potential AI use instances and serving as a collaborative platform for pilot initiatives, partnerships, and utilized analysis. This shall embody:

i)      Monitoring AI actions throughout state businesses to make sure alignment to statewide strategic priorities and to trace AI-related dangers throughout the state use case stock.

ii)    Developing, implementing, and evaluating pilot initiatives that apply reliable, accountable, and sustainable AI to deal with state authorities challenges.

iii)  Serving because the central hub for AI partnerships by facilitating analysis collaborations and data-sharing agreements amongst state businesses, establishments of upper training, personal sector entities, and nonprofit organizations, in compliance with information classification and safety requirements.

iv)   Developing and implementing mental property and information safety frameworks to safeguard delicate data, outline possession of AI-generated outputs, and guarantee transparency, accountability, and safety in state AI initiatives and partnerships.

v)    Leading the event and implementation of AI literacy coaching packages for state staff and the general public, in alignment with the strategic course of the AI Leadership Council, to assist workforce improvement, training, and public security consciousness.

 

C.    Administration.

The Accelerator shall be led and staffed by NCDIT. The Accelerator will use enter from the Council to information AI governance and implementation efforts for the state.

D.    Reporting and Accountability.

The Accelerator shall submit an annual report back to the Governor by June 30^th of yearly, made out there to the general public on the Department of Information Technology web site, detailing progress on AI initiatives, together with however not restricted to:

i)      An outline and outcomes of AI use instances deployed or carried out by every company by means of the Accelerator pursuant to Section 3.

ii)    Training program participation and outcomes for the state workforce.

The Accelerator shall accumulate high-risk AI use instances and make the stock data out there on the Accelerator web site for public evaluate. The AI Accelerator will outline what constitutes a high-risk AI use case, making certain the definition consists of functions that contain delicate or private information, these deployed in essential sectors equivalent to regulation enforcement, training, healthcare, and infrastructure, or these which can be extremely interconnected with different programs. The Accelerator shall work with the Leadership Council to find out what details about high-risk AI use instances is essential to supply to the general public.

Section 3: Mandate for AI Use Case Proposals for State Agencies

Each Cabinet company shall set up an Agency AI Oversight Team that can lead AI-related efforts for the state company. Each Agency AI Oversight Team shall embody a minimal of 4 (4) members and may, to the extent practicable, collectively possess a mixture of enterprise, coverage, and technical experience, together with synthetic intelligence, information administration, privateness, and cybersecurity.

Cabinet businesses will submit proposed use instances to the Accelerator for evaluate and prioritization for fast piloting and potential implementation. Use instances are outlined as a particular software of synthetic intelligence by a state company that has the potential to enhance effectivity, service supply, or decision-making processes and aligns with statewide AI governance frameworks. The Accelerator will assess use instances for strategic alignment, potential affect, and danger.

Each Cabinet company shall determine, doc, and suggest to the Accelerator at the very least three AI use case proposals inside 180 days of this Executive Order; which the Accelerator will consider by means of its pilot course of.

State businesses that aren’t members of the Governor’s Cabinet are inspired, however not required, to supply use instances to the Accelerator for piloting.

Section 4: Statewide AI Literacy and Fraud Prevention Training Program

           The Council will present its suggestions on a State AI Literacy technique to the Accelerator, which can coordinate with state stakeholders, together with the Department of Commerce, DIT, the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, the North Carolina Department of Justice, North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and others, to develop and disseminate AI literacy trainings which can be comprehensible by and accessible to most people, on matters equivalent to:

i)      Foundational AI ideas and functions;

ii)    Identifying AI-related fraud, scams, and misinformation;

iii)  Ethical concerns in AI use;

iv)   AI security concerns;

v)    And others.

The AI literacy trainings shall be accessible to most people and shall foster a well-informed and AI-literate inhabitants.

Section 5. Effect and Duration

 

 

This Executive Order is efficient instantly. It shall stay in impact till December 31, 2028, or till rescinded, offered, nonetheless, that the Accelerator might proceed to function upon expiration or repeal of this Executive Order.

 

The Council shall sundown on December 31, 2028, until prolonged by the Governor.

 

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my identify and affixed the Great Seal of the State of North Carolina at the Capitol in the City of Raleigh, this 2nd day of September in the year of our Lord two thousand and twenty-five.

 

Josh Stein

Governor

 

ATTEST:

 

 

 

Timothy L. Crowley

Chief of Staff, Secretary of State