Youngkin launches first-in-the-nation AI pilot to streamline Virginia regulations

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- Gov. Glenn Youngkin has issued an executive order that will launch a first-of-its-kind "agentic" artificial intelligence (AI) regulatory review.

The pilot program reportedly aims to ensure that the state's regulations are reviewed and to identify any issues, ultimately streamlining regulatory documents, per a release shared by the governor's office.

“We have made tremendous strides towards streamlining regulations and the regulatory process in the Commonwealth. Using emergent artificial intelligence tools, we will push this effort further in order to continue our mission of unleashing Virginia’s economy in a way that benefits all of its citizens.” Gov. Glenn Youngkin

According to the governor's office, this initiative will flag any areas where regulations contradict the "statute, identify redundancies, and highlight areas in which the regulatory language can be streamlined," with hopes that it will empower state agencies to continue using AI to ensure future reviews of these kinds of regulations.

“The Office of Transformation continues to look for ways to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our state government," said Chief Transformation Officer Rob Ward. "We look forward to working with our Office of Regulatory Management to apply the power of AI to our regulatory environment."

The new initiative comes after Virginia has already exceed its 25% regulatory reduction goal called for in Executive Directive 1 in 2022 and Executive Order 19 in 2022. Per the release, agencies in the Commonwealth have "streamlined" 26.8% of the requirements and eliminated 47.9% of the words in their guidance documents.

The governor's office said that this new executive order will "supercharge that process."

“The ‘Virginia model’ for regulatory modernization has become the gold standard across the U.S., with other states and federal agencies looking to replicate our reforms," said Office of Regulatory Management Director Reeve Bull. "With this newest initiative, Virginia will continue to lead the nation, becoming the first state to launch an agentic AI tool to power the regulatory reduction process."