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Technology advisory commission proposes civic AI use-case teams and data governance
Summary
The Technology Advisory Commission recommended integrating technology policy in the comprehensive plan, instituting enterprise data governance and piloting "civic use case" teams to apply AI ("Eva") to practical problems like snow removal, EMT dispatch and housing assistance while increasing outreach to low-information residents.
Mike Cornfield, speaking for the Technology Advisory Commission, urged the County Board to treat county data as a strategic asset and to create cross-functional "civic use case teams" to apply AI tools to operational problems.
Cornfield recommended several near-term actions: incorporate technology-specific policy into the comprehensive plan (covering data integrity, access controls and vendor relationships); institute enterprise governance and a software inventory to reduce duplication and cost; and consider charging third parties for use of county data as a revenue source.
On AI, Cornfield proposed testing public-facing and operational prototypes that center residents as users—starting with logistical problems such as snow removal and small-business startup assistance, then moving toward more complex use cases. "AI is a logistical gift and we should make more use of it," he said, arguing small pilots could improve efficiency and outreach to lower-information residents.
Board members asked to start with simpler pilots before attempting complex health-benefit automations and asked staff to provide assessments of current capacities and tagging for technology spending to aid governance.
Why it matters: As county services face budget and staffing pressures, better data governance and small AI pilots could improve efficiency and civic outreach; commissioners also flagged equity concerns about representative participation in technology governance.
Next steps: TAC will submit a follow-up letter with a prioritized list of policy specifics and proposed pilot topics; board members requested additional information from DTS on current capabilities and spending tags.
