Now that effort includes counties.
The National Association of Counties (NACo) has launched the NACo Artificial Intelligence (AI) Leadership Academy.
Described as “an innovative, online program to equip frontline county government leaders with practical knowledge and tools,” the pilot course runs six weeks.
County officials taking the course will learn how to understand and use AI to advance public-sector goals, the association said.
“We are pleased to offer this new resource for counties,” said NACo Chief Information Officer Rita Reynolds in a statement. “As counties aim to deploy AI across a wide range of functions, the academy will provide insightful training to keep us on the cutting edge of public service.”
The association said it crafted the course curriculum with the Professional Development Academy, which offers “leadership development” training in cybersecurity, digital transformation, analytics and other areas that concern public-sector officials.
Course topics include “understanding the power of AI, mitigating risks and navigating complexities in an evolving landscape,” according to the statement.
The association emphasized that the AI course will give county leaders the knowledge to take practical approaches when it comes to the technology, and the skills to consider how AI fits into their county priorities.
The AI education push continues to gain energy among state and local governments.
New Jersey, for instance, late last year said it would set up a formal operation at Princeton University to focus on AI research and development. Cities and states, meanwhile, are crafting AI use cases that could guide future public-sector efforts to harness the technology for their own specific needs.
And InnovateUS, which trains public-sector professionals, has released an AI training video and taken other steps to help those officials gain a deeper view of what is becoming the most hyped technology so far of the early 21st century.
