Shaping the Future of Local Government AI: Michigan Communities Connect and Innovate

Local governments across Michigan are working hard to keep up with the fast pace of artificial intelligence (AI). To help meet this challenge, the Van Buren County Digital Information Department recently spearheaded the creation of the Michigan Local Government AI User Group. This network brings municipal leaders and regional organizations together to share active projects, tackle technical problems, and build smart rules for using AI safely.

This new initiative is growing very quickly. Our inaugural kickoff meeting drew 27 public sector professionals, and that number jumped to 41 participants for our second session. This rapid growth shows that local government leaders are eager to collaborate on modern technology. During our latest meeting, which Van Buren County hosted, presenters from across the state showed exactly how they are putting these new tools to work securely and efficiently.

Oakland County: Building a Strategy for Secure Innovation

Jonathan Baugh, the Chief Technology Officer for Oakland County, shared his team’s new plan called “Enabling AI for Oakland.” His department supports 82 county divisions and over 100 local government units. A recent employee survey showed that nearly 80% of their departments are already using AI for everyday tasks like basic research, writing drafts, summarizing long documents, and transcribing audio.

To keep this widespread use secure, Oakland County uses a strict four-page guideline. For example, the policy bans covert biometric scanning and stops staff from letting AI make final official decisions on its own. The county is also rolling out layered training programs. These classes range from basic tool literacy for general staff to advanced technical certifications for software developers.

The county’s technical team also showed off a secure, internal platform pilot. This tool allows workers to safely search internal county files without risking data leaks to public AI models. Their first test case is a chatbot that helps organize IT project requests, which is already expected to save their architects 15 to 20 hours of work every single week.

Northville Township: Training First and Creative Use Cases

Shaun Nicoloff explained how Northville Township handles AI by using a volunteer innovation committee. Northville wrote a detailed 23-page governance policy that controls who can access certain types of data. To make sure everyone understands the rules, the township turned these guidelines into a mandatory one-hour training course. Employees must finish this interactive class before they are given access to the township’s secure ChatGPT Business accounts.

Northville’s current projects show how versatile AI can be when staff members are properly trained. Their team uses AI alongside automation software to speed up technology contract reviews. They also built a smarter internal website hub for employees, and they even use an AI tool to create a bi-weekly audio podcast that keeps patrol officers informed while they are on the go.

Navigating the Hurdles: Costs and Data Management

While the presentations showed a lot of potential, the meeting also included an open talk about shared technical challenges that all public entities face. Representatives from the Great Lakes Water Authority brought up important questions about managing data. They discussed the high costs of cloud storage, the risk of duplicating files, and the best ways to update large collections of live operational data.

As more communities experiment with these tools, tech leaders are focusing on creating secure login systems that work safely across different city and county borders.

Moving Forward Together

The ultimate strength of this network depends entirely on sharing knowledge among public sector entities. By launching this group, Van Buren County is helping establish a central repository for local policy drafts, security prompts, and successful use cases.

Our user group will continue to hold online meetings every two months to ensure that Michigan communities work hand-in-hand. By collaborating closely with peer municipalities and regional organizations, our department is ensuring that Van Buren County stays at the forefront of safe, effective, and modern digital government.