Mississippi legislators go all-in on AI for government efficiency

• Mississippi state department heads are embracing artificial intelligence to improve government efficiency.
• AI is being used to digitize operations and standardize processes, such as prompting eligibility workers during interviews.
• Officials assured legislators that AI implementation is not intended to replace state employees.
• Department leaders also highlighted that restrictive state hiring processes make it difficult to recruit and retain qualified talent.

Mississippi State Health Officer Daniel Edney had a simple message for legislators when asked about government efficiency in his department.

“I’m thanking God today for AI, because it has brought a lot of solutions to a lot of the problems I’m facing,” he said.

Edney was one of six Mississippi department heads asked to speak with a House committee on government efficiency about the ways that they’re saving time and money in their jobs. Most of the others echoed Edney’s thoughts on artificial intelligence and other kinds of updated technology.

Bob Anderson, the executive director of the human services department, touted that his agency is “about 90% down the path of digitizing” all of its operations and few processes remain on paper. While the department’s systems are “ancient” now, he said, it has executed an agreement with a vendor and will pilot a new system later this year.

“We did this inventory recently and didn’t even realize that in-house, we had something on the order of 40 to 45 processes or tools within our agency that are already using AI,” he said.

The technology will be used next to prompt eligibility workers during interviews to ensure they ask all relevant questions, Anderson said, a much-needed standardizing tool.

“In the 60 or so counties where I’ve looked at their documentation,” he said, “there are about 60 different versions of what the script looked like when one of our eligibility workers sits down with an applicant.”

People concerned about artificial intelligence might wonder: If an AI tool asks all of the questions a human can, why would the department keep their employees around?

Edney promised legislators that they “won’t be laying off anybody at the health department because of AI.” Other department heads asked whether the goal of the committee and overall government efficiency movement was to have fewer state employees who, with the help of AI, could handle more work.

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Increased technology use doesn’t mean maximum savings, said committee chair Rep. Hank Zuber, R-Ocean Springs. Zuber questioned why each agency was using a different type of software and paying an individual licensing fee, suggesting that the state pursue an all-encompassing contract with a single fee.

Beyond a statewide provider contract, Mississippians could also see legislation next session targeting the hiring regulations instituted by the state personnel board.

Edney, Anderson and Child Protections Services Commissioner Andrea Sanders complained that the hurdles built into the hiring process make it difficult to hire and retain qualified employees in their state jobs.

“For us to perform in the way that y’all expect us to perform, we have to have a healthy, well-educated professional workforce at the highest caliber that you can afford to have, and right now, I just can’t do that,” Edney said. “I’m constantly fighting to recruit top-level talent to the health department … What I need is a system that helps me get to where y’all want us to go.”

Anderson agreed with Edney’s comments, asking the Legislature to divorce his department from the strict restrictions of the personnel board.

“We need some flexibility, and what is frustrating at times is that we’ve built our personnel system around this notion that one size fits all,” he said. “One size fits none is really a more appropriate description.”

The slow hiring process combined with lower salaries, Sanders said, means that her department loses out on top candidates who are drawn toward the big paychecks and smooth onboarding that private business can offer them.

It is unlikely that the state will be able to afford much higher pay for its employees given its tight budget now. Margins will likely only become narrower, lawmakers said during the budget negotiation process this session, as the state’s income tax decreases.

Representatives heard suggestions from the department heads for hours on Wednesday afternoon, but it is unclear what they will take from the discussion and turn into bills next year.

Bea Anhuci is the state government reporter for the Clarion Ledger. She has covered Mississippi politics since the start of 2026. Email her at banhuci@usatodayco.com.