Stein signs executive order to integrate AI across NC agencies; DIT to lead

North Carolina moves to integrate AI across executive agencies: what government teams need to know

On Sept. 2, 2025, Gov. Josh Stein signed an executive order to speed the integration of AI across North Carolina's executive branch. The Department of Information Technology (DIT) will lead the work. At the signing were NC Rep. Zack Forde-Hawkins (D-Durham), DIT Secretary Teena Piccione, and Commerce Secretary Lee Lilley.

DIT is the state's centralized IT hub, created in 2015. It operates the state's 911 Board and runs broadband expansion initiatives-two functions with direct ties to public safety and digital access, where AI can add immediate value if managed well.

The order at a glance

• Statewide leadership: DIT will coordinate strategy, standards, security, and procurement practices for AI across executive agencies.
• Responsible use: Agencies are expected to build risk controls, protect privacy, and keep humans in the loop for decisions that affect people and benefits.
• Workforce development: Training and change management will be part of every rollout so staff can work faster and with fewer manual tasks.
• Public trust: Transparency, records retention, and accessible services remain non-negotiable.

Practical actions for agency leaders

• Appoint an AI point of contact in your agency to coordinate with DIT.
• Inventory your data and systems. Flag sensitive data (PII, CJIS, HIPAA) and clarify what can and cannot be used to train or feed AI tools.
• Pick three low-risk pilot candidates (see ideas below). Define success metrics, human review steps, and rollback criteria.
• Stand up a simple AI risk register. Use the NIST AI Risk Management Framework as your baseline: NIST AI RMF.
• Update procurement checklists: require model transparency, data handling terms, security testing, content filters, and audit logs.
• Draft a human-in-the-loop policy for any AI that influences eligibility, enforcement, or licensing decisions.
• Plan training for supervisors and frontline staff. Start with prompts, verification steps, and privacy safeguards.
• Prepare a public notice template explaining where AI is used and how residents can request human review.

Early use cases that fit government work

• Contact center assistance: suggested responses, knowledge retrieval, and after-call summaries-with agent review before sending.
• Document processing: form intake, redaction, transcription, and summarizing case files to cut prep time.
• IT and security: code assistants, log triage, and configuration analysis with mandatory human approval on changes.
• Grants and procurement: summarize RFP responses, extract key terms, and compare vendor submissions.
• Fraud and error triage: surface anomalies for investigator review (never auto-decide).
• Language access: translation and plain-language rewrites, checked by bilingual staff for critical communications.

Guardrails to keep services safe and fair

• No automated final decisions for benefits, licensing, or enforcement. Keep a documented human review step.
• Do not feed confidential or citizen data into external tools without signed terms, encryption, data retention limits, and approved environments.
• Bias and accessibility testing before production. Test across demographics, languages, and assistive technologies.
• Content controls on generative tools. Block unsafe outputs and log prompts/responses for oversight.
• Records management: preserve AI-assisted work products and prompts per state retention schedules.
• Cybersecurity reviews for any AI feature connected to operational systems (including 911-adjacent workflows).

Why DIT is positioned to lead

DIT sits at the center of statewide IT, procurement, and security. Its role with the 911 Board and broadband expansion gives it a clear view of citizen-facing services and infrastructure needs. That makes DIT the logical place to set standards, reduce duplicate efforts, and ensure tools meet state security and privacy requirements.

Coordination across state and local government

The order applies to executive branch agencies, but city and county partners will benefit from shared standards, templates, and procurement language that cut risk and cost. Watch for DIT guidance you can adopt with minimal edits.

Where this fits nationally

North Carolina's focus on safety, privacy, and performance lines up with federal direction, including the White House executive order on AI. For reference: White House AI Executive Order (Oct 2023).

Get your team ready

• Schedule a 60-minute internal briefing on your pilot plan, governance, and risk controls.
• Create a simple "What we use AI for" page for staff, with examples and do/don't rules.
• Stand up a shared prompt library for common tasks (and a process to review and improve it).
• Kick off role-based training to lift basic skills across your unit. Helpful resource: AI courses by job function.

Bottom line

The mandate is clear: use AI to speed service delivery, reduce backlog, and support staff-while protecting rights and public trust. Start small, document decisions, and build the muscle to scale what works.