Governor Josh Stein signed Executive Order No. 24 on September 2, 2025, directed at “advancing trustworthy artificial intelligence” across North Carolina. The order creates three structures: an AI Leadership Council that advises the Governor on AI use in government, an AI Accelerator at the Department of Information Technology, and AI oversight teams within each state agency.
The Council’s initial deliverables are due by June 30, 2026. Its remit includes recommending a statewide AI literacy strategy to enhance public understanding and skill development, developing civil servant training programmes, and promoting AI literacy and fraud prevention for the general public.
The state budget for 2025-2026 includes $70 million for constituent institutions to establish AI Hubs focused on technology innovation and workforce upskilling, with $8 million in recurring operational support.
Who it affects: North Carolina state agency employees (through oversight teams and training requirements), the general public (through the planned literacy strategy), and higher education institutions (through AI Hub funding).
What is notably missing: The AI Council is advisory; it holds no enforcement authority. The AI literacy strategy is a deliverable to be recommended by June 2026, not an enacted programme. No binding employer training obligation exists. None of the multiple AI-related bills introduced in the 2025 General Assembly were enacted.