As the New Glarus Village Administrator, Kelsey Jenson is thinking about AI and how it affects her work. “AI is here and continuing to grow, whether we like that or not. I think it’s imperative for local government officials to know how AI is already being used in our work,” she said.
For public entities such as local governments and nonprofits, wading into artificial intelligence can be a daunting task. Where do you start? Who do you trust? What, exactly, are the benefits of AI use for public service?
Those questions were on Jenson’s mind when she decided to attend the first session of “Understanding AI: A Forum for Local & Tribal Governments,” a series of workshops held by UW–Madison Extension. “As a local government official, any opportunity to receive training and guidance, especially on something as important as AI and how it is and will affect our world, is always worth taking,” said Jenson.
With advances in AI happening every day, the Extension forums offer educational sessions led by Extension and UW–Madison educators, as well as a space for peers to connect with others who have similar concerns and responsibilities. “Based on recurring feedback from our stakeholders and questions from our partners in local government, we knew that there were a lot of questions about AI. We also know that Extension is in a great place to provide opportunities to both learn and shape conversations about AI and government,” said Karl Martin, dean and director of Extension.
Getting up to speed
The AI Forums, sponsored by the Wisconsin Towns Association, League of Wisconsin Municipalities, and the Wisconsin Counties Association, are focused on bringing local governments up to speed on AI. Sessions tackled issues that are unique, and not so unique, to local government, including creating use policies, training employees, making tasks more efficient, considering software contracts, and complying with open records law.
“Our members are curious as to whether AI can help them do their jobs. They are very focused on the practical applications of AI,” said Jake Langenhahn, an outreach specialist for the Wisconsin Towns Association. “Wisconsin towns are already experts at doing a lot with very little, but they are always searching for additional efficiencies in their work.”
If you missed the first AI Forum, there are three more opportunities in March. The forums are for local and tribal government officials and workers who are either new to AI or who want to dive in deeper. Through hands-on sessions and lectures, attendees will gain experience with industry-standard tools and strategies for effective use.
Providing guidance
For Andrea Lombard, who serves on both the Sauk County Board of Supervisors and the Baraboo Common Council, discussions on how to begin using AI were welcome. Lombard, who describes herself as an AI newbie, plans to encourage her colleagues to take action. “As I see it, the first thing we’ve got to do is create policy before everybody goes out on their own, and someone stumbles,” she said.
In addition to providing guidance through policy, Lombard said, “the employees are integral. So they have got to be trained. From the lowest to the highest, they must have at least rudimentary ideas about what this is, what it can do for them, what it can do to them if they misuse it.”
Jenson agreed, “While I think AI can be a really useful tool, this forum helped me get a better grasp around the governance of AI and ways to start approaching the process of implementing an AI use policy for our organization.”
Designed to encourage interaction and participation, attendees had the opportunity to ask questions specific to their situations and provide feedback and ideas for future programming. Martin said that for Extension, this is just the beginning. “We’re really trying to get out in front of this as much as possible. That’s my commitment: that we’re going to try to be at the forefront, and have Wisconsin be at the forefront of this, for years to come.”
Learn more about the next opportunity to participate at go.wisc.edu/aiforums.