AI spotlight: North Carolina improves data-driven decision-making with AI

Leaders at every level of government are using artificial intelligence to help their teams, offices and agencies work more efficiently and effectively.   

The Partnership for Public Service AI Center for Government™ is publishing a series of blogs to celebrate how AI and intelligent automation are being used in government to serve the public.  

Recently, we sat down with Christie Burris, chief data officer of North Carolina, to learn how she prepares state employees to build data fluency and enhance decision-making.

Responses have been lightly edited for clarity.

How has your office used AI in its work?

“North Carolina has been leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning for many years. We have a rich history of integrating data across state agencies to answer policy questions, combat fraud, improve criminal justice and monitor public health outbreaks.

The N.C. Government Data Analytics Center, which is a public-private partnership, has been the home for this cross-agency data since 2011. We’ve learned within the GDAC that one of the challenges of integrating data from all these different sources over time is determining whether multiple database records refer to the same person if there’s not a common identifier.

In 2019, we piloted an enterprise approach to connect data using machine learning which is a subset of artificial intelligence, specifically a technique that includes linking and clustering data to create a common key. We now call this service NC eLink.”

What role does data fluency play in the development of AI tools?

“Data is the fuel for the AI engine. When we talk about embracing AI, we need governance and we need trust. Both are established by building out a comprehensive data and AI program.

We want to ensure that our workforce is not just literate, but they’re fluent and they feel confident in how they need to work with these models to get the outcomes we need in order to improve services or public safety for the citizens that we serve.”

How do you open the door to cross-agency problem solving with AI?

“North Carolina started off looking at the risk associated with AI. We took a risk-based approach in early 2024 and developed an artificial intelligence framework so we had basic guidelines for state agencies.

From there, I helped facilitate an AI working group to bring state agencies together to create open line of communication as we were all journeying together from conceptualization of a use case, to pilot and then into production.

Now we are considering how to take very large teams and build their generative AI muscles so we can be ready to embrace innovation as AI moves very rapidly into our traditional data management space.”

As chief data officer, how do you approach collaboration with your AI executive counterparts?

“One of the things we’re really excited about is the partnership with I-Sah Hsieh, NCDIT’s deputy secretary for AI and policy, and the work that he’s doing to build out an AI accelerator for North Carolina that was established as part of Governor Stein’s recent executive order on AI.

We want our team to be foundational for him when it comes to working with agencies on getting their data ready for proofs of concept to run through the accelerator.”

Continuing the conversation

The Partnership for Public Service AI Center for Government™ champions AI innovators across all levels of government.   

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