Pennsylvania Says State Employees Saved 95 Minutes per Day Using ChatGPT

Pennsylvania claims that state employees saved an average of 95 minutes per day by using ChatGPT for tasks like writing, research, summarization and IT support.

The pilot scheme was introduced in January 2024, and 175 state employees from 14 agencies used ChatGPT Enterprise to test AI’s impact. Nearly half of the participants—48 percent—had never used ChatGPT before, yet over 85 percent reported a “somewhat positive” or “very positive” experience.

State employees used the tool to draft emails, summarize lengthy documents and “navigate complex bureaucratic processes.” Amid potential job cuts across the government, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro gave reassurances about some of the biggest fears about AI deployment.

“But let me be clear—AI will never replace our workers. Instead, we’re equipping them with the best tools to do what they do best: get stuff done for Pennsylvanians.”

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said that the partnership will “provide valuable insights into how AI tools can responsibly enhance state services.”

This is the first time that a US state has announced an official collaboration with OpenAI, but we’ve already seen local governments across the world deploy AI. In December, an investigation by The Information uncovered 262 cases of AI adoption across 170 local councils, with AI being used for everything from keeping drivers informed about available parking to helping the public sort their recycling.

Chatbot adoption is also underway in the federal government. Earlier this week, the General Services Administration (GSA) confirmed the internal launch of an AI chatbot “designed to support staff in their daily work.”

But GSA opted for an in-house chatbot over a commercial solution like ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini, saying those solutions “may not meet the security and privacy requirements necessary for government use.” The agency said it was planning to share the new tool with other “federal agencies in the near future.”

About Will McCurdy

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I’m a reporter covering weekend news. Before joining PCMag in 2024, I picked up bylines in BBC News, The Guardian, The Times of London, The Daily Beast, Vice, Slate, Fast Company, The Evening Standard, The i, TechRadar, and Decrypt Media.

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