County committee signs off on GovAI subscription; staff says it will create a county AI sandbox

The Management & Internal Services Committee moved to approve a subscription agreement with GovAI to give Columbia County a fenced, county-controlled AI environment intended to limit the risk of sensitive-data uploads and to provide usage metrics and training tools.

Mr. Blankenship described GovAI as a county-specific "AI sandbox" that would restrict what the AI can learn and what information employees can upload. He told the committee "the cost for this Gov AI product is $39,950,000 per year," and staff recommended funding the subscription through the IT budget. Presenters said the county currently has guidelines for AI use but not a formal written policy; adopting GovAI would support building a policy and provide monitoring and KPI data.

Supporters argued the platform would help prevent employees from uploading personally identifiable information into public-facing AI tools and would let the county measure and improve AI training and governance. Committee members recommended drafting a formal AI policy tied to the subscription; the item was moved on consent for administrative approval.

The meeting record does not show a detailed procurement breakdown, contract term language beyond "annual price" or any vote tally. The county said future subscriptions would come from the IT operating budget and that the item will proceed through the committee's consent process.