Follow Alameda County’s AI journey

As Alameda County, Calif. entered 2024, we were very excited about how Generative AI (GenAI) could reimagine our services and operations and make them more efficient and modern. We soon realized the real challenge: Figuring out how to learn, use and make this technology a part of our Vision 2026 journey. 

We were fortunate to learn more about AI’s potential through Supervisor Keith Carson’s work with NACo’s AI Exploratory Committee. His involvement has been key in shaping our vision and helping us find safe, ethical and creative ways to use AI in our county and throughout the nation.

Business partners

To learn about what’s possible with AI, the NACo Silicon Valley Tour in January offered Alameda County and the NACo AI Exploratory Committee a deep dive into the transformative potential of AI from our business partners. The tour included site visits to leading tech hubs like Microsoft, Google, Salesforce and DocuSign, where NACo members explored innovative AI solutions in healthcare, public safety and transportation through hands-on demonstrations. 

Discussions between the tech innovators and county leaders focused on ethical and practical AI integration as well as the potential benefits to the public sector. Supervisor Carson’s opening remarks highlighted the importance of inclusive and responsible AI use to revolutionize public services. The tour gave us a glimpse into what our partners are working on and how AI solutions could help tackle our shared challenges. Even better, it helped us build connections with Silicon Valley companies, opening the door to exciting opportunities for AI-driven innovation in the future. 

Employees

To bring AI directly to our employees, Alameda County hosted an internal meeting called “Rethink AC 2024 – AI-ing the County.” This exciting all-day event brought together 120 employees from 19 departments as well as vendor partners to brainstorm creative solutions and explore what’s possible with AI. Teams formed on the spot and collaborated on how AI can make their operations and customer service better through “10X thinking.” 

The winning idea, called “SLEB Connect,” was chosen to be developed into a workable solution. SLEB Connect uses AI to understand a Small Local Emerging Business (SLEB) and then connects them to contracting opportunities across county agencies, stimulating economic growth. Other winning ideas included AC Career Compass, an AI-driven system that uses an employee’s data to recommend career advancements and map-out career pathways based on user-preferences and AC Health & Home, a home health-o-meter app that will empower individuals to improve and maintain their home’s health, using GenAI to help homeowners perform maintenance themselves or contact appropriate contractors to do the work for them.  All the teams demonstrated exceptional skills in leveraging both AI and our 10X goals to create innovative ideas and solutions that could benefit the county.

With nearly every department represented, the in-person energy and cross-team collaboration was amazing. Our employees enthusiastically shared how they met new colleagues, and when asked to describe the day in one word, the overwhelming response was “fantastic!”  More importantly, they all now have an awareness of AI and can brainstorm innovative solutions with their departments. For more details, see the NACo Portal on Webinars for “How to deliver your own County AI Idea Hackathon!” 

IT Department

To learn how to implement AI technology and be consistent across technologies, an AI Demo Day was held in the IT Department. AI Demo Day gave our technology staff an opportunity to see how their peers were using AI to solve common business problems. The teams that had developed AI solutions took turns demonstrating them.  Demos included invoice processing, testing tools, code generators, chatbots and tools that make finding documents as simple as asking a question. Cybersecurity tools were also showcased working around the clock to keep our assets safe. Two of the immediate benefits of the event were an AI tool that converted MS Access databases to a modern web application that provides easier maintenance and a better user experience and the ability to use natural language to find board letters in the Agenda Management System. The technology teams now have an awareness of different solutions that they too can offer or modify for their customers.

Governance

Finally, to incorporate GenAI safely into our environment, a GenAI policy was created and adopted by the Board of Supervisors that provides clear guidance and establishes a framework for all departments and agencies to follow as they adopt GenAI technologies to support their business and operational objectives.  It was followed by a draft user-friendly employee guide that complements the GenAI policy.  It is intended to protect Alameda County employees in its use of GenAI tools by promoting consistent behavior across county agencies and departments, as well as providing guidelines to help manage risk and protect the county’s information assets. In addition, our entire procurement process is being looked at to incorporate safeguards and language that ensures AI is used safely and equitably. 

The Future

As Alameda County continues its AI journey, the focus remains on leveraging AI technology to address common challenges while ensuring ethical and equitable outcomes. Upcoming initiatives include:

• Expanding AI-driven solutions in areas like healthcare, property, and criminal justice
• Hosting workshops and training programs to build AI literacy among county employees.
• Partnering with universities and research institutions to explore emerging AI technologies.

Supervisor Carson’s legacy and the foundational work laid through initiatives like the Silicon Valley Tour, AI Hackathon, AI Demo Day and Governance have positioned Alameda County to continue its progressive use of AI. The county’s efforts can serve as a model for others, demonstrating how government can embrace technology to create a better place to live, work and do business in the age of digital transformation.