Governor Newsom seeks to harness the power of GenAI to address homelessness, other challenges
Sep 5, 2024
SACRAMENTO — Governor Gavin Newsom today announced a new state effort to explore how generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) can help combat the housing and homelessness crisis, as well as support fiscal analyses for the state budget. The state is inviting developers to create and present innovative AI solutions to these challenges identified by state agencies for the benefit of Californians.
“As the birthplace of the tech industry and the fifth largest economy in the world, California isn’t afraid of progress. We’ll deploy every tool to address some of the most vexing issues of our time, including the housing and homelessness crisis. California has the technology and the innovative spirit — let’s put them to use for the public good,” said Governor Gavin Newsom.
California is leading in adopting and developing GenAI technologies. GenAI is already changing the world, and California will play a pivotal role in defining that future.
As part of Governor Newsom’s GenAI executive order earlier this year, he convened a summit on GenAI with leaders from across industries – including technology, labor, government, and academia – to discuss how best to use this transformative technology to serve Californians better. California is home to 32 of the world’s 50 leading GenAI companies, high-impact research and education institutions, and a quarter of patents and conference papers related to this technology.
State agencies have begun analyzing potential uses for GenAI and developed critical challenges within state government focusing on issues impacting vulnerable populations. Today marks the first step in potentially adopting GenAI for:
– Easing homelessness by better identifying available shelter and treatment beds with real-time access tools.
– Creating housing insights into local permitting decisions with tools supporting community development.
– Supporting state budget analysts with faster policy analyses across programs for efficient resource deployment.
These challenges follow May’s announcement of partnerships with leading companies seeking GenAI solutions for traffic congestion, language accessibility, among others. Earlier this month, Governor Newsom announced a partnership with NVIDIA on AI efforts supporting education and workforce skills development.
“The innovator community jumped at the chance to partner with the state to explore if GenAI can benefit our residents and our workforce,” said Government Operations Agency Secretary Amy Tong. “This overwhelming response shows us that we can embrace GenAI’s opportunities while taking measures to approach it safely.”
On September 26, developers will present demonstrations of their current functional capabilities related to these challenge statements. This event serves as market research rather than a formal procurement process.
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