What if a chatbot could instantly provide instructions for obtaining a specific permit? What if you could post city council minutes in the minutes? What if wait times at the DMV were cut in half? mosquito?
These are just some of the ways state and local governments can use artificial intelligence.
AI was the topic of a groundbreaking conference held Tuesday morning in Annapolis by the University of Baltimore.
It's a complex issue.
“Why do seemingly simple tasks take so long when they're so far away from the core business,” said Burke Attila, director of general services for the city of Baltimore.
However, those problems can be resolved within minutes.
“We need to look at resource allocation, increase headcount and maybe look at optimizing processes,” Attila said.
Attila has created a plan to use artificial intelligence to make the department more efficient, which he said typically takes several months and involves multiple analysts.
“And we now have data visualizations that can be added to notes if needed,” says Attila.
This was one of the many uses of artificial intelligence discussed at the William Donald Schaefer conference titled “AI and the Future of Government.”
“This could be used to simulate urban planning scenarios,” said Dylan Hayden, a social science analyst with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Hayden said AI can be useful in everything from drafting policy documents to analyzing large data sets.
“We can detect patterns in unstructured data and find correlations,” Hayden said.
AI can help streamline and automate public services.
“How easy is it to say, 'Here are my needs. Are there any programs that meet my needs?'” said Rebecca Overfer, Next Generation intern at the University of Baltimore.
Maryland Governor Wes Moore's Artificial Intelligence Executive Order laid the groundwork for state governments to begin integrating AI into their operations.
Nishant Shah of the Maryland Department of Information Technology is one of the officials tasked with making sure the information is used responsibly.
“The use of AI should be clearly documented and disclosed,” said Shah, senior advisor for responsible artificial intelligence at the Maryland Office of Information Technology. “Individual privacy rights are protected by design in the use of AI.”
One of the biggest lessons from this conference regarding the integration of AI into business and government is that what we do in the next two years will determine the next dozen years.
