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County clerk says Tazewell County has integrated AI to index historical records; initial accuracy 95%
Summary
The county clerk told the board the office has integrated an AI indexing tool that reads handwritten records and county minutes, saying the system is about 95% accurate and cost roughly $40,000 charged to the recorder of deeds fee fund; board members asked about data protection and policy leadership.
The county clerk told the Tazewell County Board that the office has integrated an artificial-intelligence indexing tool to make historical records searchable, including handwritten documents that previously required page-by-page review. “Now it reads the handwritten letters for you and increased our search capacity, magnificently,” the clerk said, adding the system’s current accuracy is about 95 percent.
Board members pressed for clarity on who will lead policy and oversight for AI use. One committee member asked whether human resources or another office would take the lead on drafting policies. The clerk acknowledged the board’s typical deliberative pace and said the county will need to move “a little faster” on policy development.
The clerk said the county paid a one-time upgrade fee of about $40,000 for the vendor’s software and that the vendor runs the AI on its own network rather than using the county’s servers. “It was a one-time fee… $40,000 that we used the recorder of deeds fee fund to cover,” the clerk said.
Officials discussed data-protection concerns. A presenter noted the distinction between public and nonpublic records and asked what steps are in place to prevent nonpublic information from becoming accessible. The clerk said that protecting nonpublic information is a priority but did not enumerate technical safeguards during the briefing.
Why it matters: indexing a century of records could speed research, service delivery and public access, but local officials must balance that benefit with privacy protections and clear policy on permissible uses. Board members flagged the need for a designated lead to draft AI usage rules and for more detail on how nonpublic records will be safeguarded.
The clerk described the procurement as a single upgrade to an already-digitized records system and said the tool is now in regular use; board members asked for follow-up on policy assignment and specific safeguards at a future meeting.
