Artificial intelligence is already handling routine work in county governments across Maryland, from mainframe data cleanup to HVAC life-cycle cost analysis. At the 2026 MACo Summer Conference, technology leaders shared real-world examples of AI in everyday operations and offered a practical roadmap for counties weighing adoption.
Delegate Denise Roberts led the general session, "AI That Works: Practical Use Cases for County Government," with panelists Benton Yetman of OpenGov, Baltimore CIO TJ Mayotte, and Cecil County IT Director Dave Warnick.
Start small, measure outcomes
Yetman advised local governments to begin with small, proven opportunities that save staff time before scaling up. For public-facing tools like chatbots, he suggested piloting a controlled use case and measuring resident satisfaction rather than raw usage numbers.
"Learn from jurisdictions already experimenting with similar technology," Yetman said, pointing to peer networks as a low-cost way to avoid common pitfalls.
Baltimore's examples show how varied these applications can be. Mayotte highlighted mainframe data cleanup and HVAC life-cycle analysis as two tasks where AI is already cutting through work that used to require manual effort.
Transparency and workforce training
Adopting AI in the public sector comes with extra responsibility, Mayotte said, emphasizing that transparency and fairness are under heightened scrutiny when government agencies deploy the technology.
Warnick, who has led Cecil County's IT department for six years, stressed the importance of understanding how employees already use AI on the job. Training is essential to keep staff from entering sensitive information into unsecured tools, he said.
For counties looking for a starting point, the session offered a simple formula: identify a measurable problem AI can solve, train employees on safe use, and borrow lessons from jurisdictions already testing similar applications. For professionals seeking structured guidance, AI for Government resources and an AI Learning Path for Policy Makers cover these adoption and risk considerations in more depth.
Why this matters for government professionals
AI is no longer a pilot project in county government - it is doing real work today in places like Baltimore and Cecil County. Public employees who understand how to use AI safely, measure its impact, and spot where it fails will be the ones who shape procurement decisions and daily operations. The panel's message is direct: start with a specific problem, train staff on security, and copy what works from neighboring agencies.
Your membership also unlocks:
