AUSTIN, Texas – Last month, the Texas Department of Transportation released a 71-page strategic plan with artificial intelligence targets the department hopes will aid transportation investments across the state.
TxDOT said it hopes its “embracing of AI” will “enhance its processes, policies, and responsible management of Texas' transportation investments,” according to the report.
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The Texas Transportation Commission was briefed last month ahead of the three-year plan’s official public release.
While only four current pilot projects actively utilizing AI at TxDOT are detailed in the report, the agency said it is focused on broadening the technology’s usage in the future, specifically targeting over 200 AI use-case examples in the plan.
Darran Anderson, a director of strategy and innovation, described the plan as having the means to change, citing AI’s fluidity.
“This is a general, three-year guiding document for the department … there may be changes three years from now that we can adapt to, but it can extend beyond that time,” Anderson said during the December meeting.
Anderson described one of the projects that used Microsoft 365’s Copilot tool to enhance the department’s productivity.
The plan describes four focus areas guiding AI usage across the agency:
- Optimizing infrastructure: AI will help improve the efficiency and resilience of the state’s transportation network.
- Data-driven decision making: AI-enabled analytics will enhance how staff can make decisions regarding roadway operations and maintenance.
- Enhancing stakeholder experience: The agency will leverage AI for real-world solutions to help TxDOT employees and partners deliver better services to the traveling public.
- Unlocking workforce potential: AI will reduce demands on employees from routine and manual tasks, enabling them to focus on higher-value work and innovation.
- Ensuring security: Incorporates security and data privacy safeguards to protect the agency while also keeping humans in the loop with all AI processes.
TxDOT also lays out a roadmap it plans to follow to ensure governance and transparency.
You can view TxDOT’s AI plan below: