The rapid advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies presents significant opportunities for enhancing transportation systems across the United States. However, the fragmented approach currently observed among State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) in AI adoption leads to duplicated efforts and missed opportunities for collaboration. Some agencies often face challenges in accessing the necessary resources and expertise to implement AI effectively. A unified effort through a transportation pooled fund (TPF) study can address these challenges by fostering collaboration, accelerating adoption, reducing risks, and ensuring access to AI resources. This TPF project aims to bring together State DOTs to share insights, practical application of AI implementation strategies, and best practices, thereby maximizing the benefits of AI in the transportation sector. The State DOT Council for Strategic AI Adoption will focus on the practical application of AI technologies in state-level transportation operations. While national efforts are addressing governance, standards, and policy frameworks. This TPF study will serve as a hands-on implementation network for State DOTs, ensuring they have the capacity, resources, and peer support to translate national AI strategies into operational deployments.

The study aims to achieve the following objectives:

1. AI meetings for State DOTs: Organize meetings and workshops to encourage dialogue and idea exchange among state DOTs. These convenings will serve as platforms for sharing experiences, discussing challenges, and collaborating on innovative solutions.
2. Strategies for AI adoption in transportation: Facilitate coordinated efforts among states to develop strategies for AI adoption in transportation.
3. Pilot Projects: Support DOTs for the implementation of pilot projects that address common use cases across the transportation sector. These projects will act as testbeds for new AI applications, providing valuable insights and best practices that can be scaled across states.
4. Create Shared Resources: Develop shared resources such as data repositories and workforce training materials. These resources will standardize data collection and analysis and equip the workforce with the skills needed to manage AI technologies effectively.

The scope of the AI pooled fund study includes the following activities:

• Facilitation of Peer Exchanges: Organize and facilitate peer exchanges for state DOTs to foster communication, cooperation, and the exchange of ideas. These meetings will be designed to address specific challenges and explore opportunities for AI integration.
• Strategies for AI adoption in transportation: Facilitate coordinated efforts among states to develop strategies for AI adoption in transportation. The outcomes of this task will be shared with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to support its national strategic AI adoption plan.
• Preparing Agency Data for AI Implementation: Helping agencies in data preparation for AI implementation by standardizing it to ensure consistency and interoperability, harmonizing it for coherence and comparability across diverse sources, and improving data quality through cleaning, validation, and enrichment to support reliable and effective AI-driven decision-making
• Pilot Project Implementation: Identify common use cases and support the development and implementation of pilot projects in selected states. These projects will test AI applications in real-world scenarios, providing a basis for broader adoption.
• Resource Development: Create and maintain shared resources, including comprehensive AI research and innovation, data repositories and training programs. These resources will be accessible to all participating states, ensuring equitable access to AI tools and knowledge.

·         The cost includes travel expenses for two staff members from each state to attend the biannual peer exchanges / pooled fund meetings.