1. (a) A state agency or local government shall designate an employee as the AI Risk Officer.

   1. (1) The AI Risk Officer is responsible for promoting ethical AI system procurement, development, deployment, and use within the state agency or local government, consistent with the AI Code of Ethics established by this chapter and the AI Risk Management Framework published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
   2. (2) If a state agency or local government deploys a heightened scrutiny AI system, the AI Risk Officer is responsible for ensuring that the risk assessment is completed for that system. The AI Risk Officer shall evaluate the completed risk assessment and ensure that the heightened scrutiny AI system is deployed consistent with the minimum standards established by this chapter.
   3. (3) In filling this role, the state agency or local government may employ an individual solely for this purpose or may add this responsibility to a current employee's existing job duties.
2. (b) A state agency or local government shall establish a process to identify and inventory all implementations of AI systems that qualify as heightened scrutiny AI systems.

Source Note:The provisions of this §219.21 adopted to be effective March 18, 2026, 51 TexReg 1610.