Kansas legislature looking into possible AI usage to help with legislative tasks

TOPEKA (KSNT) — The Artificial Intelligence boom is sweeping the nation and now, the Kansas legislature is discussing AI usage as well.

During Wednesday’s Government Efficiency Committee meeting, an AI consultant testified before lawmakers, and explained how the state government could use AI to make certain legislative tasks more efficient.

This would include small administrative tasks such as analyzing state documents, and using AI to answer support center calls. Most notably, the legislature discussed possibly using AI to summarize policies to find ways to make them more efficient.

AI Consultant Rob Cohan, who testified before lawmakers today, said keeping humans involved in all government tasks is still a must. However, some lawmakers are still skeptical.

We spoke with Senator Mike Thompson, who tells us that he is concerned about the ethics of using AI.

“I get worried that overtime, there’s going to be an overdependence on AI,” said Thompson. “People will get very comfortable with it, and they won’t doubt it. So, you could lose some critical thinking skills in the long term because people become so dependent on it and just assume that the answer is correct.”

The consultant also stated that other states are beginning to look at possible AI usage.

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