Businessman Christopher Parisi has watched the evolution of artificial intelligence, from being dismissed as science fiction to being incorporated into everyday life.
However, Parisi says the general public is still not truly aware of the transformational power AI will have. That lack of awareness could be due to trepidation over technology that people feel could get out of control, he says.
“It’s not only the fear of losing a job or personal agency. There is a philosophical reason. We fear being replaced,” said Parisi, president of the Providence marketing firm Trailblaze Inc. and vice chairperson of the state’s new Artificial Intelligence Task Force. “For the first time, we are no longer going to be the most intelligent species on this planet. And that’s scary.
“Many people believe if they just keep their head in the sand, it will go away. That it’s just a fad,” Parisi said. “Well, it’s not a fad. It’s here to stay and it’s going to be the most transformational technology that we will ever witness in our lifetime.”
Thanks to an executive order signed by Gov. Daniel J. McKee in 2023, Rhode Island joined a growing list of states with AI task forces, including Alabama, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Washington.
Among the topics the administration says it wants the task force to explore is how AI can prepare the state to responsibly support the advancement of this technology in the private sector while finding efficiencies in the public.
After months of planning meetings, the 24-member task force, chaired by former U.S. Congressman James R. Langevin, met for the first time in July.
Parisi, who had been lobbying the McKee administration to create the task force for more than a year, said there remains a dual focus: “Identify and seize opportunities and mitigate the potential risks.
“We had to take that step forward and be proactive to ensure our state is positioned well for the oncoming revolution and be a leader in a responsible and ethical way,” he said. “We are on the cusp of a monumental transformation that has unprecedented opportunities. But we also are going to have a lot of responsibilities to prepare for. If we take the right steps, we are not going to get crushed. But if we are going to be reactive, we are going to be in a bad position.”
Having Langevin as chairperson brings a level of validity and respect to the initiative, Parisi says, given his national stature and experience with legislating around emerging technology.
In a statement, Langevin said the diverse perspectives of its members will allow the task force to create a “comprehensive roadmap that will prepare Rhode Island to implement artificial intelligence effectively and ethically.”
On the agenda for the July meeting was a discussion of a request for information released by the McKee administration in June for a “strategic partner,” which garnered more than a dozen responses, including from large tech companies such as Amazon Web Services Inc. and Google LLC.
Over the next year, the group will break into industry-specific teams to craft an AI roadmap with the goal of submitting a final report to McKee by mid-2025.
The next full meeting will take place in the fall, according to meeting minutes; however, the fact-finding teams will begin their work well before that.
Ex officio member Sen. Louis P. DiPalma, D-Middletown, who is an engineer and focused his graduate work on AI in the 1980s, said part of the strategy is “to look at how these various areas will potentially interact” with AI.
“Whether it’s health care, finance, manufacturing or education, you name it. We are really trying to look at it in as comprehensive a manner as possible,” he said.
DiPalma, who also serves on a multistate working group looking at AI’s effects nationally, said his focus will be on ensuring “guardrails” are identified and implemented.
“We need to be sure it’s used appropriately and be thinking about legislation, business regulations, or things the executive branch thinks are appropriate,” he said.
Take voice recognition software. DiPalma recalls when this technology was in its early stages.
“It is phenomenal. I remember 30 years ago when it was in its infancy,” he said. “But now we expect it every day when we talk to [Google’s] Alexa or turn on the coffee pot.”
A recent survey by McKinsey and Co. found that 72% of responding businesses are now using AI in at least one capacity. Parisi’s own industry has been disrupted, forcing him to revamp his marketing agency to become an AI-powered firm.
“There are going to be jobs taken away, but also two new jobs being created. I saw and still see firsthand how these advancements have impacted businesses,” he said. “But this is going to impact everybody in the state. From my 2-year-old child who will be tutored by an AI robot that has personalized learning based on his skill sets and mannerisms, to my parents when they go into elder care and will be nursed by AI robots.”
Parisi envisions Rhode Island returning to its roots as a driver of technological and political change.
“We are small, so we can take advantage of being able to be nimble and pivot, which you cannot do if you are a large state,” he said. “My hope is that Rhode Island will become a leader. We were a leader in the Industrial Revolution. Why can’t we be a leader in AI?”
So one person on the task force with a background in anything data related?