Commissioners create Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence for Public Good

The Montgomery County Board of Commissioners voted to establish the Montgomery County Advisory Council on Artificial Intelligence for Public Good and an internal county working group to guide ethical, equitable and practical uses of AI in county operations.

Stephanie Tipton, deputy chief operating officer, presented the resolution and described the council’s proposed role: a 7–15 member outside advisory body drawn from academia, industry and the public, paired with an internal county working group of staff and stakeholders to pilot AI use cases. Tipton said focus areas include smart governance and open data, finance and procurement (fraud prevention and contract reviews), health and human services (risk‑flagging and coordination), public safety (data analysis and resource deployment), and legal/ethical/regulatory compliance.

Tipton told the board the council will recommend use cases, advise on bias and privacy safeguards, and help design training and communications. She requested the board approve opening applications for council members and to authorize county staff to set up the working group and focus teams.

Commissioner Winder moved the resolution and Commissioner De Bello seconded. The board approved the council by voice vote.

Why it matters: County staff said the effort will let Montgomery County test AI tools while building transparency, accountability and protections to limit bias and misuse. The resolution pairs outside expertise with internal staff expertise so recommendations can be operationalized in county departments.

Next steps: If the resolution stands, the county will open applications for council members, form the internal working group and begin piloting priority use cases and training plans.