Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — In a general memorandum, Gov.Pulaali’i Nikolao Pula’s office issued this week a statement on the American Samoa Government (ASG) use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the ASG workforce, joining the Trump Administration’s support of the highly controversial technology.

The memorandum sets the rules and establishes the body responsible for carrying them out, building on General Memorandum No. 025-26 (Appointment of Chief Information Officer and Cooperation Order) and Executive Order No. 008-2024. 

POSITION OF THE TERRITORY

The (ASG will be an adaptive adopter of Al,  according to the memorandum, in three parts: 

(a) Protect the front door.  Every resident-facing service of the Government shall keep a staffed channel. Al may assist employees; a Government employee remains responsible for every decision and every communication to a member of the public. 
(b) Modernize the back office. Departments are encouraged to use approved Al tools to reduce time spent on paperwork, correspondence, reconciliation and reporting, and to redirect that time to service delivery. No position in the ASG shall be eliminated as a result of Al adoption. Productivity gains shall be absorbed through the current hiring freeze and attrition, not through separations. 
(c) Build the pipeline. Government employees, apprentices, participants and students shall be given the opportunity to acquire foundational Al literacy, with pathways from the most affected occupations into occupations in which the Territory has shortages.

This Memorandum governs the Government's own use of Al. It does not regulate the use of Al by private persons or businesses. 

Principles for government use of Al effective immediately, for all departments, agencies and offices of the Executive Branch shall observe the following: 

1. A named Government employee is accountable for any decision, record or communication produced with the assistance of AL. 
2. No confidential, personal, financial, health, personnel or law-enforcement information shall be entered into any Al tool that the Chief Information Officer has not approved for that purpose. Government business shall be conducted on Government-provisioned accounts, not personal accounts. 
3. Output of Al tools shall be reviewed for accuracy before it is relied upon or issued. 
4. Where Al materially assists in preparing a communication or decision affecting a member of the public, the Government shall say state so if asked. 
5. Al training and tools shall be made available across departments and classifications, not only to technical staff 
6. AI use shall support, and shall not displace, the use of the Samoan language in Government communication with the public. 

The Chief Information Officer shall issue implementing guidance under these principles and General Memorandum No. 025-26, including procurement terms for Al-enabled software, in consultation with the Attorney General. 

AI & WORKFORCE TASK GROUP

The Task Group is established within the Office of the Governor. It shall be co-chaired by the Workforce Development Lead, Office of the Governor, and the Chief Information Officer. 

Its members are the Director of Human Resources; the Director of Commerce; the Director of Education; the President of the American Samoa Community College; the Treasurer; and the Chairman of the American Samoa Workforce Development Board, or their designees. The Co-Chairs may invite other departments, authorities and partners,

It shall include LBJ Tropical Medical Center, the Office of the Congresswoman and the Chamber of Commerce, as required. The Office of the Governor shall provide staff support. 

The Task Group shall advise the Governor on the implementation of this Memorandum; design and oversee a Government Al-literacy pilot consistent with the position above; coordinate Al readiness in workforce and education programs; pursue the Territory's inclusion in federal labor statistics and related federal and partner funding; and coordinate the Territory's participation in the National Governors Association's work on Al and the future of work. 

The Task Group shall report to the Governor, through the Chief of Staff, within ninety (90) days of the date of this Memorandum and quarterly thereafter. 

Each department retains authority over its own programs; the Task Group only coordinates and reports. Cooperation and Application All departments, agencies and offices of the Executive Branch shall cooperate with and provide information to the Task Group and the Chief Information Officer upon request. 

Semi-autonomous authorities and the Legislative and Judicial Branches are invited to adopt these principles. 

Nothing in this Memorandum requires a new appropriation, creates a right enforceable against the ASG, or alters the authority of any department director under law.

This Memorandum is effective immediately and remains in effect until amended or rescinded, according to the memorandum.

Artificial intelligence (AI) tools are already in use across the ASG, largely on personal accounts and without common rules. 

The occupations most affected by these tools are office and administrative occupations, while production, construction, transport and hands-on care are largely unaffected.