The Virginia Senate receives new research on artificial intelligence

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (WVIR) - The Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission presented research on artificial intelligence to the Virginia Senate in a hearing on Tuesday.

JLARC revealed that over one-third of government agencies in Virginia had incorporated AI in their daily workflow. Another 30% were considering using AI tools. JLARC pointed to the need for one major change: updated standards for AI usage.

“I think one of the most important things that we had identified was that the state really needs to improve its approach to governing AI in the state for state uses,” says Drew Dickinson, the Chief Legislative Analyst at JLARC. He was the one presenting the report to the Virginia Senate.

The most recent AI standards were last updated in 2023 by the Virginia IT Agency. What’s more recent is a survey JLARC presented at the hearing. It indicated that over 90% of government agencies in Virginia would prefer an updated standardization on AI. One of the major hurdles to AI regulation is one that seems simple. AI can be hard to define.

“Defining AI is just very challenging and there’s no organization that everyone agrees ‘this is the one,’” Dickinson said.

Dickinson says the broad nature of the term can make it challenging for legislation. That’s why JLARC chose to break AI down into three major categories:

They define predictive AI as a system that classifies, predicts, or recommends. Generative AI is defined by its ability to create content like text, images, code or video. Agentic AI is their final classification, defined as being able to carry out multi-stage tasks to complete an objective.

Dickinson also spoke on the practical usage and risks of AI. One usage is utilizing AI to modernize outdated IT systems. He also said that AI can help reduce the state’s SNAP payment error rate. The major risk is allowing AI to do more important tasks without human oversight.

“The risks are significant, it really depends on the use case and the context that it’s being used,” Dickinson said.

Putting legislation around AI can be complicated. Dickinson says reports like these make the path forward clearer.

“We were able to look at that and provide them some insights in terms of what the state, what the General Assembly itself can do to help really address some of the challenges that come along with legislating or developing legislation,” Dickinson says.

The chief information officer of the Virginia Information Technologies Agency spoke shortly after JLARC gave its presentation. He agreed with the recommendations and showed interest in making significant changes in the future.

Do you have a story idea? Send us your news tip here.

Copyright 2026 WVIR. All rights reserved.