By Bruce Hasbargen, Public Works Director at Beltrami County
Over the past year I, like most people, have watched artificial intelligence (AI) rise from something largely unknown to a regular topic at conferences and meetings and in the news. At the 2026 Minnesota County Engineers Association conference, two guest speakers gave a presentation on AI. The session was very informational and well received, and it garnered many comments from attendees. One thing that stood out to me was how many people were already using AI in small, practical ways to help with everyday tasks. It made me wonder how it could be useful in county government work today and where it might lead in the years ahead.
At first, I was skeptical of AI. A few colleagues had mentioned using it, but I was hesitant to try it myself. My first experience, however, was an eye-opener. I was applying for a grant and needed to draft a project summary in 100 words or less. The application and supporting documents were already done, but I was struggling to find just the right words to summarize the project and highlight its value. I had been working on it for a couple of hours before finally, out of frustration, I decided to give AI a try. I attached the application, entered the prompt, hit enter, and within seconds, I had a summary. I was both shocked by the result and disappointed I hadn’t tried it sooner.
Since then, I’ve continued to use AI, mostly in simple ways. I’ve used ChatGPT to review documents and emails and get suggested improvements, such as changing the tone of an email to something more professional. It has saved me time when drafting summaries or updates to our county board. I’ve used it as an alternative search engine when looking for specific information. Sometimes I’ve even asked it questions—such as how to handle a particular issue—to quickly see possible options. On the personal side, it helped me plan my last two vacations by generating daily itinerary ideas based on the parameters I provided.
I know some colleagues are also experimenting with AI in more technical ways. For example, some are using it in bridge maintenance, analyzing pictures taken over time to track cracking and help develop predictive models. Others are using it to more efficiently research topics, organize data, and compile reports. More examples appear regularly at conferences and online as people continue testing what works.
If you are hesitant or unsure of how AI might fit into your work, all I can say is, give it a try. Most of us are still figuring out what it can do, but we are all learning together. Like any tool, it has limitations; it can make mistakes or “hallucinate,” so make sure you verify everything, and never enter sensitive or private data. Still, it’s worth continuing to experiment, test it out, and see how it might help both now and in the future.
With that, it might be time to rewatch a few old movies, because I’m finding it hard to end this article about AI without thinking “Hasta la Vista, Baby” or “I’ll be back.”
Related resource
- Catalyst: "Preparing for AI use in transportation"
