If artificial intelligence is going to shape the way state agencies work, Tennessee tech leaders want to make sure they’re the ones steering that shift.
State officials on Monday released Tennessee’s first Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council Action Plan, a detailed blueprint from the Tennessee AI Advisory Council that illustrates a coordinated effort to guide how AI will be used across government, education and industry.
The action plan — which the council unanimously approved during a public meeting Nov. 17 — helps carve out a path toward ethical AI adoption across agencies. The document is organized around four major priorities, with the first focusing on launching AI pilot programs that can demonstrate real improvements in government services.
The second pillar addresses the state’s underlying technology, calling for secure infrastructure capable of supporting AI experimentation while keeping sensitive data protected. Workforce preparation forms the third pillar, highlighting the need to boost AI literacy among public employees, in addition to expanding training and reskilling programs through partnerships in education. The last pillar outlines governance expectations designed to ensure that as AI expands within the state, it does so with strong risk management, clear oversight and accountability to the public.
At its core, the plan sets out to answer a straightforward but urgent question: how should Tennessee prepare for a future in which AI touches nearly every corner of public life?
“Tennessee’s values of integrity, transparency, and fiscal responsibility make innovation possible without compromising public trust,” Jim Bryson, who co-chairs the council and is commissioner of the Department of Finance and Administration, said in a recent statement, adding that the new strategy “ensures that every Tennessean benefits from the opportunities AI brings.”
That focus on pairing innovation with public trust mirrored remarks from Kristin Darby, the state’s chief information officer and the council’s other co-chair.
“We are moving from planning to action,” she said in the statement, emphasizing the state’s strategy aims to “balance innovation with oversight that accelerates progress while protecting citizen rights and privacy.”
Throughout the plan, state leaders stress that acting sooner rather than later is critical. The council will continue its work through 2028, issuing yearly updates to track what’s working and adjust as needed.
The state is emphasizing what leaders call a “culture of practical innovation,” with the council’s chairs noting in a message accompanying the plan that “AI is no longer theoretical — it is already transforming how government provides services, how businesses operate, and how Tennesseans work and learn.”
