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Centre County moves Synthesia AI video contract to consent agenda as officials stress cautious use
Summary
The Board of Commissioners voted to add a $10,000 contract with Synthesia Limited (AI video-creation software) to next week's consent agenda for staff training and multilingual outreach; commissioners asked about oversight and job impacts and staff said the county will proceed cautiously through an AI governance committee.
Centre County commissioners on May 26 voted to add a proposed contract with Synthesia Limited, an AI video-creation platform, to next week's consent agenda. The contract would provide the county access to automated video creation for communications and employee training from June 1, 2026, through May 31, 2027, at a cost of $10,000.
Chad, the county's information-technology department head, said departments have already identified use cases through an AI governance committee and that the platform could streamline onboarding, annual policy acknowledgements and multilingual outreach with "one-click translations." He described unlimited internal usage hours under the license and said the vendor's demonstrations showed high-quality outputs. "We're proceeding very slowly and cautiously," Chad told commissioners, acknowledging concerns about AI errors and "hallucinations" and stressing that the tool is intended to assist staff rather than replace jobs.
Commissioners asked whether departments had been surveyed about demand; Chad said about eight department heads on an AI governance committee had identified potential uses during demonstrations. Board members emphasized the need for verification and oversight for any automated materials used in public-facing or safety-critical contexts.
By voice vote the board moved to add the contract to next week's consent agenda; approval of the contract itself will be considered at that time. The action was presented as an administrative step to place the agreement on the consent agenda; no contract execution occurred during the May 26 meeting.
Votes at a glance: at the May 26 meeting the board approved minutes from May 12, adopted proclamations designating May 2026 as Asian-American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Foster Care Awareness Month, approved the weekly consent agenda and the May 22 check run, and moved multiple contracts and planning items (including the Synthesia Limited contract) to next week's consent agenda. Where recorded, motions were carried by voice vote.
The board's action sets the county administration to return next week with the full contract for formal approval and any accompanying documents (privacy, use-case limits and verification procedures) commissioners may request before final execution.
