AI in Texas Government: A Quick-Start Guide

1 Why This Matters

Texas Government Code Section 2054.5193 requires all state and local government employees who use a computer for 25% or more of their job duties to complete AI awareness training annually. This is not optional - it is a legal mandate that took effect for fiscal year 2025-2026.

The requirement was established because AI is rapidly transforming how government agencies serve constituents. From automated document processing to chatbots that answer citizen questions, AI tools are already present in many government workflows - sometimes without employees even realizing it.

The Texas Department of Information Resources (DIR) has published certification standards that all approved training programs must meet. These standards ensure employees understand what AI is, recognize its risks, and can use it responsibly and ethically.

2 What Is AI?

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to computer systems designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. These tasks include understanding language, recognizing patterns, making decisions, and generating content.

Three types of AI you should know:

• Machine Learning - Systems that learn patterns from data. Example: a spam filter that learns to identify junk email by analyzing thousands of messages.
• Natural Language Processing (NLP) - AI that understands and generates human language. Example: a chatbot on a government website that answers common questions.
• Generative AI - AI that creates new content such as text, images, or code. Example: ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, or Google Gemini generating a draft memo.

AI is not magic and it is not infallible. It works by finding patterns in large amounts of data and using those patterns to make predictions. It does not truly "understand" information the way humans do.

3 AI Tools You May Already Be Using

You may be interacting with AI daily without realizing it:

• Microsoft 365 Copilot - Summarizes emails, drafts responses, creates presentations
• Outlook Focused Inbox - Uses AI to prioritize your email
• Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant - Summarizes PDF documents and answers questions about them
• Google Workspace Gemini - Helps write, organize, and summarize in Docs, Sheets, and Gmail
• Teams Meeting Transcription - AI-powered speech-to-text and meeting summaries
• Website Chatbots - Many government websites now use AI chatbots for constituent service
• Grammarly - AI-powered writing assistance that checks grammar, tone, and clarity

The key question is not whether your agency uses AI - it almost certainly does. The question is whether your employees know how to use it responsibly.

4 5 Ways AI Can Help Your Agency

1. Document Drafting and Summarization - AI can create first drafts of memos, reports, and correspondence, and can summarize lengthy documents into key points. This can save hours of manual work while maintaining quality with human review.
2. Data Analysis and Reporting - AI tools can identify trends in large datasets, generate visualizations, and produce reports that would take staff days to compile manually. Useful for budget analysis, performance metrics, and compliance reporting.
3. Constituent Service Improvements - AI chatbots can handle routine inquiries 24/7, freeing staff to focus on complex cases. AI can also help route requests to the right department and suggest responses to common questions.
4. Process Automation - Repetitive tasks like form processing, data entry, and scheduling can be automated with AI, reducing errors and freeing staff time for higher-value work.
5. Translation and Accessibility - AI-powered translation tools can help agencies serve non-English-speaking constituents. AI can also improve document accessibility by generating alt text for images and creating plain-language summaries.

5 5 Risks Every Government Employee Must Know

1. AI Hallucinations and Factual Errors - AI can generate confident-sounding but completely false information. It may cite laws that do not exist, invent statistics, or create fictional references. Every AI output used in government work must be verified by a human.
2. Bias and Discriminatory Outcomes - AI systems learn from historical data, which often contains biases. An AI tool used in hiring, benefits decisions, or law enforcement could perpetuate or amplify discrimination against protected groups.
3. Data Privacy and Security Violations - Entering confidential information (Social Security numbers, health records, personnel data) into an AI tool may expose that data to the AI provider and potentially to other users. This can violate state and federal privacy laws.
4. Unauthorized Tool Usage - Using AI tools that have not been vetted and approved by your agency creates security vulnerabilities and compliance risks. Always use only authorized tools.
5. Over-reliance Without Human Oversight - Treating AI output as a final answer rather than a starting point is dangerous in government contexts where decisions affect people's lives, rights, and benefits.

6 Your Quick-Start Checklist

Use this checklist every time you work with AI:

7 Texas Legal Requirements at a Glance

8 Next Steps - Get Officially Certified

This guide provides a foundation, but it does not satisfy the training requirement. To comply with Texas Government Code Section 2054.5193, you need to complete an approved training program and earn a verifiable certificate.

The Evolve AI Institute training program includes:

• 3 comprehensive modules aligned with all DIR certification standards
• Self-paced, online format - complete in approximately 1 hour
• Final assessment with unlimited retakes (80% passing score)
• Official certificate with unique verification ID
• Public verification page for employer confirmation
• WCAG 2.2 AAA accessible on all devices

Individual pricing starts at $24.95 per person. Volume discounts available for teams and agencies.