AI Recap - January

Since many of you are following me because of the work we are doing in the City of Lebanon to embrace and advance AI, here is a recap of my week in AI.?

???AI Training Initiatives: I've been working on developing a formal training program for our employees to learn about AI. This is a collaborative effort with the Cyber Services team that will introduce employees to how the City will be using AI and outline our guidelines and procedures. We are also developing a roadmap for future specific training, which will include a mix of internal training and recommendations for external courses available to employees.?

???ChatGPT for Teams: On January 10, 2024, we updated our chatGPT accounts to?ChatGPT for Teams. This tool provides us with more administrative tools and allows us to have an internal GPT shared space. More importantly, it does not train on our data or conversations. We have updated?our AI registry?to reflect this change.

???Microsoft 365 Copilot: Despite some limitations as a GCC customer, we're gearing up for the full?Microsoft 365 Copilot?experience. I'm particularly excited about Copilot Pro (Studio) and ensuring every employee is trained and ready to harness its potential. This is a heavy lift for our Cyber Services team as we explore how to introduce and roll this out responsibly.?

???Meet Algo: I introduced Algo, a?custom-trained OpenAI GPT?and the newest non-voting member of our Technology Review Committee. Algo is trained explicitly on our policies and procedures and is meant to provide additional insight into our technology reviews by running them against our stated policies. Since Algo is a non-voting member, humans remain the ultimate decision-makers. Algo is experimental, and we will continue to build and test its capabilities.

???Additional Experimental GPTs: I'm also testing additional GPTs tailored for policy writing, strategic planning, and public communications. These are experimental and are being tested by those with expertise in each area.

???ICMA Conference Panelist: I'm honored to be invited as a panelist for the?ICMA Reimagined Conference in Boston?this April, where I'll join leaders in a discussion about AI in local government space. More to come on that!

???Paragon Policy Fellowship Partnership: We're collaborating with?Paragon Policy Fellowship?to discuss project proposals focused on implementing and operationalizing AI in our City. We specifically discussed developing a framework for our evolving Technology Review Committee. More to come on this exciting partnership!

????GovAI Involvement: I participated in a?GovAI Coalition?meeting where we voted to adopt an AI Fact Sheet. The GovAI Coalition, led by the City of San Jose, consists of over 120 government agencies nationwide. The AI Fact Sheet is a document intended to be completed by industry vendors during the procurement process to capture technical details about the AI systems they use. I cast an affirmative vote on behalf of the City of Lebanon to promote vendor requirements that align with our values. This vote does require the City to formally adopt this document into our purchasing process. It represents a unified voice in local governments, setting expectations for vendors selling technology to local governments. The work here continues, and as a new member, I am still exploring the lay of the land.?

????AutoReview Advancements: On Monday, I met with the AutoReview.AI team, our Deputy Planning and Development Director, and the Cyber Services Director to continue building, training, and implementing AutoReview.AI software into our site plan review process. This upfront work will provide more accurate and customized outcomes in the future, which will improve and expedite our review process. I can't wait to share more as we progress.

????MMANH AI Presentation: Our City Manager asked our Cyber Services Director and me to lead a discussion on AI use in April for the?Municipal Manager's Association of New Hampshire, being hosted by the City of Lebanon at our City Hall. We'll be talking about our AI policy, projects, and training efforts and answering questions.?

???Microsoft Copilot Training: I?completed a training course?for Microsoft Copilot and am ready to use those new skills in experimental ways.

That's a wrap for AI this week. I'm inspired and excited for all that is coming in this space. Please be aware that this update doesn't include the other important work I am doing in the City related to rolling out a new building permit application process, updating our Strategic Plan, refining our procurement process, and other collaborative efforts to improve the systems that promote our public communications. However, AI does cross over into all the work we are doing, and in the coming years, the topic of AI will fade into the background as it becomes embedded into our everyday processes, much the way the internet, in general, has become our norm.?