North Carolina is putting some structure around the artificial intelligence hype. On Thursday, Gov. Josh Stein rolled out a statewide AI strategy, a roadmap meant to protect residents, prepare the workforce and modernize how state government uses the technology. The plan is pitched as a practical way to cash in on AI’s economic upside while putting real guardrails around fraud, deceptive content and other harms. State officials say the document ties big policy goals to concrete deadlines and specific agency owners so the whole thing does not end up gathering dust on a shelf.
The roadmap, drafted by the state’s AI Leadership Council, organizes 17 strategic goals into three pillars: Protect, Prepare and Transform. Each goal comes with recommended owners, timelines and funding notes. There are eight goals focused on protecting residents, four aimed at preparing people for an AI-driven labor market, and five designed to transform state services and government operations. Read the full plan: Statewide AI Strategic Roadmap.
“The roadmap gives our state a strategy to protect people from harm, prepare our workforce for opportunity, and transform how government serves the public,” Stein said during the rollout. The announcement builds on the AI Leadership Council that was created by Executive Order No. 24 in September 2025 and on months of interagency work and public meetings. CBS17 covered the announcement, and earlier reporting outlined the executive-order framework that launched the council. WRAL.
What the roadmap actually covers
Under the Protect pillar, the council calls for policies that shield residents from AI-related harms, including efforts to reduce scams and deepfake risks, boost cybersecurity and clarify who is accountable when automated systems inform decisions that affect people’s lives. Prepare focuses on education and workforce pipelines, urging support for PK-13 AI literacy along with credentialing and reskilling programs. Transform lays out how state government can deploy AI tools more safely by building shared AI resources, test sandboxes and contingency plans so critical services keep running if models or vendors change.
What it means for jobs and government
The roadmap leans heavily on worker transition supports. It proposes a statewide AI career-transition program and closer coordination among community colleges, universities and employers to help displaced workers move into new roles. State agencies have already been piloting AI tools in day-to-day work. WRAL reported that a recent pilot in the treasurer’s office using AI tools delivered roughly a 10 percent productivity bump, a data point the roadmap says should guide future pilots. The council recommends prioritizing reskilling for workers most at risk of automation and tying training directly to real job pathways.
Legislative outlook and timeline
The council notes that many recommendations will require shifting existing funding and passing new laws. It urges lawmakers to move a policy package in the 2027 legislative cycle to lock in protections and standards. The document assigns primary owners for each goal and lays out target completion dates and funding considerations so legislators and agency leaders can track who is doing what. Officials stress that the roadmap is meant as an implementation manual as much as a strategy, and they expect to revise it as priorities and technologies evolve.
Reactions and next steps
Council co-chairs Secretary Nate Denny and Secretary Lee Lilley pitched the roadmap as a way to build public trust while chasing economic gains. “This is a plan to build public trust,” Denny said, while Lilley emphasized that AI is poised to play a major role in the future of work and competitiveness. Reporters note that the council plans to publish progress reports and bring together partners across education, labor and the private sector as it moves from recommendations to pilots and then to policy proposals. CBS17.
How to read the plan
The roadmap is framed as a living document, with the council committing to update its recommendations as AI tools and risks shift. Hoodline previously tracked the governor’s executive order that created the AI Leadership Council and early agency pilots and training work. Embarks on AI Revolution. State officials say they will publish implementation updates as agencies stand up programs and seek legislative backing for funding.
For those who want to dig into the details, the council’s 35-page roadmap spells out all 17 goals, along with owners and timelines, so communities, lawmakers and local employers can follow progress and press for accountability. State leaders describe the work as iterative and say the roadmap’s performance over the next year will be a key test of whether North Carolina can both attract AI investment and protect residents from its harms.
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