Larry Zeiler, director of IT for Yellowstone County, said the county is working to develop an AI policy and to expand online services while prioritizing security and public trust.

"Judge Carter reached out to me last week in inquiring about AI and really wanting to get something going with at least effectively putting a solid AI policy in place for the county," Zeiler said, describing the county's initial push to set rules around AI use. He emphasized a measured approach: "How do you eat an elephant? 1 bite at a time," urging incremental steps to pilot AI tools and build policy over time.

Zeiler said the county has already modernized infrastructure in preparation for expanded digital services. He described the Miller Building's conversion into the Ostland Building with updated data-center capability, cabling and physical security, and said his team is configuring network switches and interfaces ahead of a staff move planned for early December.

On e-government, Zeiler highlighted recent improvements to the county website and said public works is implementing online permitting software that will let residents apply and pay for permits remotely. "Everything on there is just amazing," he said of the new site, noting features such as searchable tax records.

Zeiler expressed skepticism about online voting, saying that while technology exists, "the public trust isn't there with voting as it is right now." He urged local governments to lead cautiously on AI and to focus first on small, useful deployments.

Zeiler also noted workforce implications: his IT team counts 12 people and the county is recruiting to replace a departing web developer, with plans to possibly reconfigure development responsibilities into a larger development team.