Jon Siegal, Dell Technologies & Rich Gagnon, City of Amarillo | Dell Technologies World 2024

Summary

In this engaging interview at Dell Technologies World in Las Vegas, Savannah Peterson and Dave Elante discuss the innovative use of AI in city governance with Rich Kangon, Assistant City Manager and CIO of Amarillo, Texas. Rich shares how Amarillo is leveraging generative AI to bridge communication gaps, improve access to municipal services, and enhance resident engagement through a digital human named Emma. The conversation highlights the transformative potential of AI in making city services more inclusive and efficient, with implications for other industries and cities looking to democratize access to information and resources.

Takeaways

• 🎙️ The interview is part of a three-day coverage event at Dell Technologies World held in Las Vegas, Nevada.
• 🤝 Savannah Peterson and Dave Elante are the hosts of the show, interviewing guests about their experiences and roles in technology integration.
• 🏙️ Rich Kangon, Assistant City Manager and CIO of Amarillo, Texas, discusses his role in implementing technology to improve city services.
• 🔄 Rich Kangon shares a transformative vision for using technology to enhance the lives of Amarillo's citizens, including a focus on inclusivity for non-English speakers.
• 🌐 A partnership between Dell and the City of Amarillo has led to the development of a digital human interface, named Emma, to assist residents in accessing municipal services.
• 🤖 Emma is an AI-powered digital assistant designed to make municipal services more accessible through conversational AI, regardless of language barriers.
• 👴 The digital human, Emma, is being further developed to cater to specific demographics, such as seniors, by creating a companion that addresses their unique needs.
• 📈 The City of Amarillo has seen positive responses from residents and employees, with Emma becoming a favorite 'co-worker' and improving service accessibility.
• 💡 The initiative is part of a broader strategy called 'Conversational City', which explores the use of generative AI for societal good and community impact.
• 🛠️ The technology behind Emma involves collaboration with Dell, Nvidia, and third-party partners, utilizing AI infrastructure and services to create the AI interface.
• 💼 The project was funded through existing budgets for website redevelopment and is expected to save costs compared to expanding the call center with human translators.

Q & A

What is the setting of the video script?

The video script is set in Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada, during the second day of a three-day coverage event on the cube.

Who are the hosts of the video?

Savannah Peterson and Dave Elante are the co-hosts of the video.

What is the role of Rich Kangon in the City of Amarillo?

Rich Kangon is the Assistant City Manager and CIO, responsible for all technology within the city.

What is the partnership between Dell and the City of Amarillo about?

The partnership is focused on using technology, specifically generative AI, to improve the lives of the citizens of Amarillo and make municipal services more accessible.

What was the initial challenge that the City of Amarillo faced with its broadband project?

The initial challenge was that about half of the city was missing broadband access, which they later addressed.

How did the City of Amarillo discover the need for better language support in municipal services?

They discovered that they have more refugees per capita than any city in Texas, with 24% of residents not speaking English at home and one middle school having 62 languages and dialects.

What is the name of the AI digital human on the City of Amarillo's website?

The AI digital human is named Emma.

What was the inspiration behind the name 'Emma' for the AI digital human?

The name Emma was chosen as a result of a dad joke, referencing AI chatbots like Eliza from the 60s, with the last name Rillo added for humor.

How does the AI digital human Emma assist residents on the City of Amarillo's website?

Emma assists residents by having a conversation with them to help them access information and municipal services, making it easier for non-English speakers.

What is the long-term vision for Emma as described by Rich Kangon?

The long-term vision is for Emma to be a brand for the city, with the ability to recognize different languages and dialects, and introduce culturally appropriate avatars to residents during interactions.

What is the underlying technology supporting Emma and the City of Amarillo's AI initiatives?

The technology includes collaboration between Dell and Nvidia, with Dell infrastructure, Nvidia's AI enterprise software, and third-party partners, as well as a vector database provided by Prion.

How does the City of Amarillo ensure the quality of interactions with Emma?

They track thumbs up and thumbs down feedback, anonymize conversations, and have SLAs for directors to ensure questions are answered within 48 hours, improving the conversation quality over time.

What is the future plan for Emma's use cases in the City of Amarillo?

The plan includes extending Emma's use beyond the website, such as greeting visitors at the new city hall, and potentially using her for follow-up questions with residents.

Why is the City of Amarillo considering moving the AI from the cloud to an on-site data center?

It is more cost-effective to move the AI to their data center rather than moving data to the cloud, especially as the number of use cases and data sets grow.

How is the City of Amarillo funding the AI initiatives?

They have allocated funds from other projects and saved costs by implementing AI instead of expanding the call center, which would have been more expensive.

What is the potential impact of Emma on other industries according to John?

John mentions that the digital human capability of Emma could be useful in various industries, including retail, healthcare, and financial services, for improving customer and patient experiences.