Drone flights without an operator. Video analysis to expedite Indiana State Police investigations. Case law summaries.
These are just a few examples of how state agencies are using, or were pursuing, artificial intelligence.
The Indiana Management Performance Hub, the state agency that helps approve planned use of AI in the executive branch, OK’d 135 plans to implement AI programs from January 2025 through June 2026, according to a summary provided to the Indiana Capital Chronicle.
That doesn’t necessarily mean all 135 ended up being adopted, said Jeff Mullins, MPH communications director. Some may still be in development or contract negotiations, and others ultimately weren’t pursued.
The state’s AI policy is managed by the chief data officer, chief privacy officer and MPH. Requirements of the policy include an agency adopting a risk management framework from the National Institute of Standards and Technology and, in some cases, disclosing to people they had an interaction with AI.
Agencies using or planning to use AI submit a readiness assessment, which officials then review for the tool’s “objectives, efficacy, and risks.” Once approved, the agency can proceed but must provide followups either annually or after substantial changes to the AI tool or its use.
Many of those approved proposals sought to aid workflows. Several agencies planned to use AI voiceovers for videos and presentations or for parsing and analyzing data.
But others outlined more extensive use. The attorney general’s office received approval for a Thomson Reuters-owned tool that “provides attorneys with AI-powered legal research tools to generate answers to complex legal questions, draft initial documents, summarize case law, and identify relevant statutes.”
Slayde Settle, spokesperson for Attorney General Todd Rokita, didn’t say whether this system was in active use but confirmed the office has started to use AI tools.
“Our office is the largest law firm in Indiana, handling tens of thousands of open matters at any given time with a dedicated team of attorneys and staff,” Settle said. “To continue meeting that responsibility at the highest level, we must smartly adopt every available tool that strengthens our work. We have already begun to deploy AI for many of our non-attorney back-office functions and we are excited about the cost savings that can occur there.”
The Indiana State Police now utilizes a tool that “condenses hours of video into a single, concise view by removing non-pertinent footage, allowing detectives to pinpoint key objects, individuals, and events quickly,” said Capt. Ron Galaviz, chief public information officer.
It’s applied only to legally obtained footage, he said, with access exclusive to detectives who’ve completed specialized video analysis training. Detectives review the source footage to validate the system’s findings.
ISP was granted approval for other AI tools, too, including one that’d detect license plates from vehicles of interest in real time and a pilot program “to consolidate disparate data sources, accelerate investigations, and generate timely actionable intelligence.” Neither of those are currently being pursued, Galaviz said.
The Indiana Department of Transportation is launching, flying and landing tethered drones without a pilot for its aerial surveys, said INDOT Strategic Communications Director Natalie Garrett.
The software, called Fotokite, is one of 21 AI systems INDOT got approval to pursue. One seeks to help INDOT safety and engineering teams “identify and correct inaccurate GPS coordinates in crash reports by comparing information entered by law enforcement officers and written descriptions.” Another identifies discrepancies with bridge weight limits using inspection images and existing data. Those two remain in development, Garrett said.
The Indiana Department of Child Services built a tool to compare its policies with state and federal regulations. It is now being tested by staff attorneys and validated by policy experts, said Ron Green, director of communications, but could be rolled out sometime this year. The tool will serve only as a resource, Green said, not for decision making, “especially as it relates to the health and well-being of children.”
Indiana Capital Chronicle is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Indiana Capital Chronicle maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Niki Kelly for questions: info@indianacapitalchronicle.com.
