Whether you have kept up with the cutting edge of Artificial Intelligence developments or paid no attention all, it is changing your world. AI infuses an ever-expanding number of daily activities, and the Luzerne County administration was wise to appoint the state’s first county-level “chief artificial intelligence officer” to help our area take advantage of a tech that is evolving at the equivalent of fictional warp speed.
County Manager Romilda Crocamo appointed County First Assistant Solicitor Vito DeLuca to the new position in January, and DeLuca, in turn, has wasted little time. As reported in yesterday’s paper, the county announced the launch of “NextGen Luzerne County,” described as a pilot program to explore the responsible use of AI to increase county government efficiency, transparency and public services.
Lofty goals, but essential ones as AI becomes almost mundanely incorporated into everything from search engines to spreadsheets, from writing to illustrations, from managing your home’s climate control to arranging reservations for vacation trips.
Regarding that last one, the phrase “Agency” or “Agentic AI” has been bandied about in recent months, signaling a new phase for the technology. The systems have been helping people write, draw, organize, and do many other tasks for some time, but now they are not only assisting in providing information but in taking action on that information.
Consider one of the biggest uses of the internet since the rise of Amazon — shopping. AI has been making it easier to find what you want; Agentic AI will order it for you.
The risks of turning over too much of our human decisions to smart machines are many, the fears raised by critics often legitimate. Protecting privacy, preventing data breaches that can ruin a life, and the growing ease with which deep fake documents, voices, photos and videos can be made are profound concerns.
But putting our proverbial heads in the sand won’t prevent those risks from becoming realities. Learning how the new tools work and how to use them in our own efforts is the smarter way to protect against abuse.
“We’re not handing the wheel to machines,” DeLuca said in a media release about the new county effort. “We’re giving the staff a high-tech navigator, something to help steer smarter, not drive for them.”
The plan is for employees across departments to acquire some hands-on learning through AI-assisted work they do all the time, such as drafting, summarization and data analysis.
The biggest potential mistake would be to force AI into government activities strictly for the sake of having AI. Crocamo and DeLuca offered multiple assurances that the county is approaching the idea sensibly, working to find the best systems for each application and getting feedback from employees as AI is added to their proverbial toolboxes.
We take the news of this next step with cautious optimism and confidence in Crocamo and her administrators’ competency since she got the county’s top government post.
Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. Subscribers enjoy valuable benefits, including full access to our e-edition, a reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more.
Your support helps ensure independent, high-quality local news remains available today and for future generations. Thank you for standing with local journalism.