ANNAPOLIS, MD — Governor Wes Moore announced Maryland’s AI Innovation Lab, an initiative within the Maryland Department of Information Technology (DoIT) that will provide State agencies with tools, infrastructure, and expert consultation necessary to upscale AI adoption and experimentation.
“Maryland is leveraging AI to make our government faster, smarter, and more efficient—from tackling complex challenges like child poverty and housing access to saving taxpayers millions through smarter fleet management,” said Gov. Moore. “By launching the AI Innovation Lab, we are not just leading the nation in the responsible deployment of artificial intelligence, we are delivering revolutionary results directly to Marylanders.”
Through the AI Innovation Lab, Maryland’s State agencies will have access to a controlled sandbox environment for secure testing and ready-to-use software packages that will help them rapidly build and prototype AI solutions. The Innovation Lab’s team will provide hands-on training to support agencies, test vulnerabilities pre-deployment, and transition the Lab’s AI pilots into ongoing AI products that agencies will grow.
The AI Innovation Lab will also support key strategic initiatives, such as the State’s partnership with Anthropic, to harness artificial intelligence to address child poverty and modernize Maryland’s government. Sample offerings include a tech stack to power chatbots, solutions architecture sessions to try new AI offerings, and the State’s first AI red teaming services that would stress test AI tools to ensure security of all tools the Lab builds.
After establishing a foundation for responsible AI use, the State of Maryland has quickly moved to creatively use AI to solve problems and find efficiencies. As part of the Governor's Modernization Initiative, DoIT worked with Maryland's Department of Budget and Management to create an AI agent that helps fleet drivers find approved vendors for oil changes, tire rotations, and other services in real time. Trained on the Maryland Department of Budget and Management’s vetted dataset to help drivers find the closest, lowest-cost vendors while on the road, this agent is forecast to save the state $1 million to $1.5 million per year.
“Under the Moore-Miller administration, Maryland is using AI to improve the way we deliver services in partnership with our State workforce,” said Maryland Department of Information Technology Secretary Katie Savage. “The AI Innovation Lab formally positions us to experiment side-by-side with State workers to co-develop creative solutions to move faster and upskill everyone in the process.”
The Innovation Lab will be made up of state employees with AI expertise. These experts will be led by Pat McLoughlin, Executive Director of the Maryland Benefits Platform, Maryland’s one-stop-shop to access essential benefits and the State’s largest IT asset. By anchoring the Lab within the Maryland Benefits Platform, the State ensures AI development is supported by well-managed, well-architected systems that enable reliable and scalable innovation.
“The Maryland Benefits Platform is the State’s largest, most comprehensive IT asset,” said Maryland Benefits Executive Director Pat McLoughlin. “With this new initiative, we are expanding how the platform is used, giving our partner agencies the tools and support they need to make meaningful improvements through AI Innovation.”
All AI systems and tools developed by the State of Maryland adhere to its Responsible AI Policy. The responsible AI policy provides a governance framework for AI systems used by or on behalf of the State of Maryland, enabling State agencies to use AI systems for the benefit of constituents while safeguarding against potential harms. All AI systems purchased and built for State use go through an AI intake process that ensures all AI systems comply with rigorous data, security, and privacy standards.
