Every day, thousands of North Dakota state employees answer questions, manage projects, and deliver services to citizens. Increasingly, they’re doing that work with the help of artificial intelligence (AI)—used thoughtfully, securely, and with clear guardrails in place.
Relevant to its size and user base, North Dakota has the highest active-use rate of Microsoft Copilot among any state government in the country, according to Microsoft. As of June, nearly 3,000 state employees were using Copilot each month, and adoption continues to grow.
It’s an acknowledgement that speaks to North Dakota’s strategic efforts to be as responsive, productive, and effective with taxpayer dollars as possible.
This milestone reflects our commitment to finding practical and innovative ways technology can help our workforce be more efficient,
said Corey Mock, Chief Information Officer for the State of North Dakota. Our strong adoption of Copilot shows that AI can be a valuable tool for supporting government services when it’s implemented thoughtfully and used responsibly.
Real-Time Savings
Current data shows that employees save an average of five to six hours per month using Copilot, with some advanced users saving up to 20 hours per month.
A key part of North Dakota’s approach is access. Copilot Chat—a free, web-based version of Copilot—is available to every state employee licensed to use the Microsoft 365 suite. While it doesn’t offer the deeper integration with Word, Outlook, and Teams that a full Copilot license does, it provides employees with a secure entry point to generative AI at no additional cost.
Employees are embracing AI because they’re seeing real value in their everyday work,
said Skyler Lundsford, Enterprise Copilot Administrator for NDIT. Our goal has never been to use AI simply because it’s new. It’s about helping employees save time, reduce repetitive tasks, and confidently use these tools in a secure and responsible way.
Savings translate into faster responses to citizen inquiries, more consistent information, and more staff time available for the work that matters most. Not only that, but agencies can decide where a full Copilot license provides enough additional value to justify the investment.
Practical Use Across Agencies
NDIT leads the state in fully licensed users, with the Department of Financial Institutions, the Bank of North Dakota, and the Department of Public Instruction also among the most active.
Employees are using Copilot in a variety of practical ways, including:
Transcribing & Notetaking – Generating real-time meeting summaries so they can stay engaged in discussions instead of splitting attention with notetaking.
Document Analysis – Attaching files to quickly identify data trends or cross-reference information across large datasets.
Policy & Compliance Lookup – The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, for example, has integrated Copilot with its internal SharePoint library, cutting what used to be manual searches through extensive documentation down to seconds.
The technology has proven especially valuable for analysts, administrative staff, project managers, and communications professionals—roles built around organizing information and managing complex workflows.
Governance Built In
None of this adoption has come at the expense of security or oversight. The state’s AI use is guided by clear policy: AI supports employees rather than replacing them, sensitive information stays out of unapproved tools, and human review remains required before any AI-assisted work reaches the public.
NDIT recently presented this approach—covering current AI use, governance, and security review processes—to the state’s newly formed AI and Data Center Committee at its inaugural meeting in July.
Looking Ahead
NDIT continues to evaluate additional enterprise AI tools, including ChatGPT and Claude, to determine where they could offer distinct benefits alongside Copilot. Any new tool would go through the same security, privacy, and risk review already applied to existing AI solutions.
As adoption continues to grow, the benefits are becoming increasingly visible where they matter most: North Dakotans receiving better service, and a state government with more time to focus on serving its people.