State legislatures have begun using a variety of artificial intelligence tools to assist with legislative processes. Legislative staff report using generative AI tools, including ChatGPT and CoPilot, for a variety of purposes such as doing research, creating first drafts of documents and editing text. Generative AI systems can produce text, images, video and other media in response to user prompts.
Legislative staff also report using generative AI tools for tasks such as transcribing hearings, drafting bills, improving cybersecurity and translating language. In addition, commonly used applications including Microsoft Word and Teams, as well as the LexisNexis legal research platform, have begun to offer generative AI functionality, which some legislatures are experimenting with.
As staff begin incorporating these tools into their work processes, some legislative offices are developing AI usage policies, with particular attention to the risks around exposure of sensitive information and inaccuracies in AI-generated content.
The NCSL resources below provide further insights and details about legislative use of AI.