Luzerne County schedules town hall about AI initiative

Luzerne County’s administration has scheduled a town hall to brief the public on how artificial intelligence may be used in its government operations to enhance services.

The county officially launched “NextGen Luzerne County” in April, which it described as a groundbreaking pilot program exploring how AI can responsibly enhance the efficiency, transparency and delivery of public services. County First Assistant Solicitor Vito DeLuca is spearheading the initiative and is Pennsylvania’s first county-level chief artificial intelligence officer, past county announcements said.

The town hall will run from 5 to 6 p.m. July 30 at the county Operations Building, 1199 Wyoming Ave., Wyoming. Instructions for the remote attendance option will be posted at luzernecounty.org.

According to a Monday news release, the town hall was scheduled to answer residents’ questions and explain safeguards the county is putting in place to meet ethical standards, protect privacy and secure data.

“We want to ensure that our residents have a clear understanding of what the county’s AI initiative entails,” county Manager Romilda Crocamo said in the release.

The presentation also will provide a general overview of AI, its capabilities and limitations and the structure of the proposed pilot program, it said.

The release said DeLuca’s technical and legal background “positions him to guide Luzerne County’s responsible adoption of emerging technologies.” He has a master’s degree in business administration from Cornell University and is pursuing advanced degrees in cybersecurity and AI/machine learning. DeLuca is performing the AI duties without additional compensation.

DeLuca said the county workforce is being educated on the ethical use of AI solutions and emphasized “human judgment remains central.”

“The goal is to empower employees with the knowledge and tools to identify opportunities to responsibly leverage AI and automation technologies, ultimately improving the efficiency and effectiveness of county government operations,” DeLuca said.

Success will be measured by time saved on tasks, quality of output, comfort with the tools and employee feedback, officials have said.