The California Department of Finance (DOF) is partnering with San Francisco-based tech firm Authorium to launch a new generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) project aimed at accelerating the state’s legislative bill analysis process. Announced this week, the initiative is part of California’s growing effort to modernize government operations using AI, following Governor Gavin Newsom’s 2023 executive order directing state agencies to integrate GenAI to improve efficiency and support frontline staff.

The new GenAI tool will assist in summarizing bills, identifying fiscal impacts, and pulling relevant background information from multiple data sources. “GenAI has great potential to enhance our ability to deliver high-quality analysis to California policymakers,” said Christian Beltran, Deputy Director of Legislation at DOF in a press release. “We look forward to piloting this technology to enhance our efficiency, accuracy, and capacity.”

The California Department of Technology (CDT) will provide oversight, ensuring the GenAI system is used effectively, securely, and responsibly. The tool will be powered by Amazon Web Services’ Bedrock platform and will leverage advanced language models such as Meta’s Llama. CDT Director Liana Bailey-Crimmins called the project a foundational step in smarter government operations, saying, “By exploring the use of Generative AI in legislative workflows, we’re laying the foundation for smarter, faster, and more transparent government services.”

Authorium, the company behind the AI platform, is a public benefit corporation focused on helping governments modernize internal processes. “We are honored to be selected by the California Department of Finance to increase efficiency and effectiveness in critical legislative and policy efforts,” said Co-CEOs Jay Nath and Kamran Saddique. The project builds on California’s innovative procurement model known as the Request for Innovative Ideas (RFI²), which allows agencies to test emerging technologies in controlled, secure environments before full-scale deployment.

The Department of Finance’s new GenAI pilot adds to a series of state initiatives using artificial intelligence—such as Caltrans’ efforts to manage traffic and the Department of Tax and Fee Administration’s call center support—as California explores the role of emerging technologies in improving government operations, with several projects scheduled through summer 2025.

Editorial Note: Authorium is an association member of TechCA, publisher of The GovReport.