By Adam Pagnucco.
Here is today’s question.
Should the county government use AI (artificial intelligence) to support the work of county employees? If so, how?
Mithun Banerjee (D)
On April 29, Banerjee requested more time to respond due to medical reasons. At that time, he told me, “I was sick & still I am sick. I will try my level best to send them to you at the earliest.”
Andrew Friedson (D)
Yes, the county should leverage AI to improve Accessibility and Accountability. We should use AI to provide 24/7 multilingual support for residents navigating county services and to analyze real-time budget and performance data to find inefficiencies and identify service improvement opportunities. This is about making county employees more effective and the government more responsive to the public.
Evan Glass (D)
Montgomery County already uses AI, both for public facing and internal use. One example is Monty 2.0 – which assists residents with non-emergency services in the language they’re most comfortable using. This is a great application of AI; the county saves money on costly real time translation services while county residents are served with ease and comfort. A report by the Workgroup to Study Implementation of an Expanded 3-1-1 Nonemergency System, led by Senator Cheryl Kagan, also advocated for targeted AI implementation for non-emergency services.
At the same time, we do need to maintain a strong, human-centered workforce that is able to provide human-centered services with care and compassion. The dedicated employees of Montgomery County provide top class services and we don’t want to jeopardize that.
Peter James (D)
Most people, when referring to AI, mean large language models (LLMs).
These have the potential to wipe out humanity. They are taking jobs, while providing incorrect answers. They understand how to manipulate people and are causing an epidemic of mental health problems on social media.
In the early 70s I used self organizing maps (SOM) to design communication networks and speech recognition to control computers and robots. I currently use machine vision AI on our robots to find and control weeds and turfgrass weeds. I use safe LLMs to do special tasks. I talk to my AI describing a part. It then generates a CAD file model to be 3D printed and CNC toolpaths to cut parts in metal and other materials.
So I would only apply safe AI, not super intelligent AI that is currently humankind’s biggest threat.
I have designed a road way safety system generator using nuero-evolutionary algorithms that will scan and analyze every inch of the County’s road ways generating the most optimal combination of safe street sensors and traffic safety mitigation methods (speed bumps, roundabouts, etc.),
I am the only candidate that knows what AI is safe and effective for any given task.
Will Jawando (D)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Shelly Skolnick (R)
Did not answer the questionnaire.
Esther Wells (R)
Yes, County government should use AI to support the work of county employees and to make Montgomery County more affordable and efficient. I support using AI for scientific, repetitive, and high-volume tasks. My plan adopts the same proven technologies used by billion-dollar global service leaders and smart cities.
We will deploy AI to automate permitting and licensing, slash red tape, and optimize MC311 and DHHS workflows. To ensure success, I will prioritize upskilling our county staff to supervise these systems and master real-time data analysis. By training our workforce to manage AI tools, we empower them to process information at a faster pace, allowing elected officials to make decisions with greater precision, accuracy, and speed.
This isn’t just about technology; it’s about transparency and accountability. We will implement online data dashboards that use AI to monitor taxpayer funds in real-time. This modernization will eliminate redundancies, allowing us to downsize the bureaucracy and reallocate funds back to the taxpayers through lower rates.
As a CPA, I know that an innovative, paperless government is the key to safeguarding PII and improving quality of service. By merging human expertise with AI efficiency, we will make Montgomery County a premier destination for investment.