Rhode Island releases its roadmap for AI.

On January 28, 2026, Rhode Island's Governor's AI Task Force released the state's first AI Action Plan, a blueprint for responsible AI adoption built around four themes: education and workforce upskilling through training, apprenticeships, and AI accreditation; government leadership through pilot services such as chatbots and transit applications; framework development including a centralized guidance body; and collaboration at scale through AI-RI, a hub meant to give businesses a virtual and physical space to experiment with trusted AI tools. The task force, created by executive order in February 2024 and first convened that July, examined six sectors — government, education, healthcare, finance, small business, and manufacturing — and presented its findings at Rhode Island College, home of the Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies. As the headline suggests, the plan is more direction than rulebook: it does not say which AI models the state would endorse, who owns implementation of each theme, or what sector-specific regulation should look like. Task force chair and former Congressman Jim Langevin framed the stakes as a question of readiness rather than arrival, vice chair Chris Parisi called AI "one of the most transformative technologies we will experience," and RIC professor Tim Henry signaled the state's posture directly: "We're not looking to have the government lay out strict regulations." Governor Dan McKee's assessment was blunter — "It's not a fad."