How AI Is Helping Government Companies in Charlotte Cut Costs and Improve Efficiency

Charlotte's government can move from theory to dollar‑sized results by pairing targeted pilots with responsible guardrails: a 12‑week North Carolina Department of State Treasurer pilot using ChatGPT helped identify “millions of dollars” in potential unclaimed property, demonstrating how AI can unlock tangible savings and streamline outreach (North Carolina Department of State Treasurer ChatGPT pilot press release); the N.C. Department of Information Technology is publishing an AI framework to guide safe, consistent deployments across agencies (N.C. Department of Information Technology Responsible AI framework announcement), and independent analysis warns that focused AI use in high‑volume processes can cut agency costs substantially - BCG estimates savings up to 35% in some areas over ten years (BCG analysis: Benefits of AI in government).

For Charlotte leaders, the clear next step is small, measurable pilots plus staff training (practical prompt writing and tool use) to convert backlog into faster, lower‑cost public services.

“Our team set out to find out how we could modernize our department, while still providing top notch service to folks across the state… As this pilot program wraps up, we are thrilled to say our divisions were able to take that publicly available information and utilize ChatGPT in ways that resulted in tangible and measurable improvements to their daily workflow.” - State Treasurer Brad Briner

Charlotte government agencies are concentrating AI efforts where volume meets routine: customer-facing contact centers and chatbots to handle high‑frequency inquiries, shared regional services that centralize back‑office tasks, and automation of routine outreach so staff focus on complex cases; industry examples include AI‑powered chatbots and contact‑center outsourcing services highlighted by HGS AI chatbots and contact center capabilities, proposals for shared regional AI services via the GovAI Coalition for Charlotte and neighboring jurisdictions described in the GovAI Coalition shared regional AI services proposal for Charlotte, and concerns about outreach automation that can mimic routine follow‑ups explained in outsourced outreach and sales automation risks in government.

A concrete capability already appearing in vendor stacks - voice authentication and deepfake detection - targets a clear pain point for public call centers: verifying caller identity without adding hours to casework, helping reduce manual triage while preserving security.

Charlotte governments seeking fast, verifiable cost savings can look to nearby health systems for concrete examples of user‑driven AI that trim operations without blockbuster budgets: Duke Health's Sepsis Watch deployed real‑time sepsis risk predictions across emergency workflows and was later adapted and licensed for wider use, showing how a locally‑built model can scale beyond its origin (Duke Health Sepsis Watch innovation model – WUSTL Law Review); another Duke project integrated a kidney‑risk algorithm for $217,138 (national scaling was later estimated at ~$38.8M), a reminder that a single six‑figure pilot can prove value before broader rollout (Duke kidney‑risk algorithm integration case study – W. N. Price II et al. (WUSTL Law Review)).

Local operational pilots at Duke - like weekend cath lab scheduling and flow improvements reported in Duke's Pulse - underscore that AI paired with workflow change reduces capacity strain and avoids costly staffing churn (Duke Heart Pulse April 2025 operational pilots and outcomes).

So what: a focused, clinic‑level pilot in Charlotte with a clear metric (readmissions, bed turnover, or call‑center handle time) can be tested for under $250K, proving ROI before scaling regionally through a GovAI shared‑services model.

Charlotte agencies can boost throughput by embedding lightweight automation into existing workflows - examples show AI that condenses large case files, retrieves records, and flags high‑risk files for human review so specialists spend time on decisions, not searches.

The Veterans Benefits Administration's Automated Decision Support (ADS) pilot (first tested in 2021) demonstrates how summarization and robotic process steps reduce administrative backlog while keeping staff central (Veterans Benefits Administration Automated Decision Support (ADS) pilot); insurers and municipal claims shops can mirror that pattern with AI‑driven severity scoring to prioritize investigations and cut litigation exposure (AI-driven claims triage and severity scoring for insurers and municipal claims).

So what: a focused pilot that automates retrieval and triage can convert hours of manual case prep per week into faster resolutions and measurable backlog reductions while preserving final human judgment.

“We're creating tools because we still need those claims processors in the loop. We still need that claim decision to be done by claims processors.” - Becky Lindstrom

Charlotte's AI ambitions must be matched by clear guardrails: the N.C. Department of Information Technology's “Principles for Responsible Use of AI” prescribes seven operational checks - human oversight, transparency, security, privacy, fairness, auditing, and workforce empowerment - that agencies must test against and be prepared to modify, replace, or deactivate if systems misbehave (NCDIT Principles for Responsible Use of AI – Responsible AI principles for state agencies); complementary technical controls advocated by practitioners - strong identity and access management, data minimization, real‑time monitoring, and network segmentation - help prevent model drift, data exposure, and costly public‑facing failures while preserving the ability to scale pilots that prove value (FedInsider guide to securing and evolving AI in government).

So what: adopting NCDIT's framework plus zero‑trust controls lets Charlotte run measured pilots that cut back‑office costs without sacrificing resident privacy or public trust, and ensures problems can be isolated and rolled back before they become emergencies.

“Never trust, always verify.” - Jared Vichengrad (summarizing zero‑trust approach to AI)

Charlotte leaders should start with a tight, low‑risk pilot (a single high‑volume process like routine citizen inquiries or records retrieval), run a Privacy Threshold Analysis (PTA) to catch any PII or legal exposure, and map the pilot to NCDIT's living AI Framework and Principles so human oversight, transparency, and data governance are baked in from day one; use state‑approved accounts and follow the NCDIT guidance on publicly available generative AI (never enter confidential or sensitive data, disable chat history for high‑risk uses), document the tool, model and version, and require independent fact‑checking and annual reassessments using the NIST AI Risk Management Framework cited by NCDIT. Build a repeatable playbook - stakeholder sign‑offs (legal, IT, communications), training for prompt hygiene, a rollback plan and an audit trail - so a single 8–12 week pilot can prove a cost or time metric (e.g., reduce call‑center handle time by X%) before scaling to shared regional services.

For practical templates and the PTA process see NCDIT's Principles for Responsible Use of AI, AI Assessments (PTA), and Use of Publicly Available Generative AI guidance.

“AI outputs shall not be assumed to be truthful, credible, or accurate.” - Ohio AI policy (cited in SOG)

Charlotte governments ready to stand up accountable AI pilots can tap both statewide procurement and local expertise: the N.C. Department of Information Technology's state term contract 920S now lists 113 participating vendors (including Charlotte‑based RSM US LLP), providing pre‑approved firms for cloud, GIS, application development and process improvement work (N.C. Department of Information Technology state term contract 920S vendor list); procurement can be further streamlined by searching certifications and registration in the state eVP portal (North Carolina eVP vendor portal vendor search and certification lookup) to match HUB‑certified local partners.

For technical build and implementation, several Charlotte consultancies and national firms with local offices offer AI, MLOps, NLP and systems integration services - see a curated directory of regional AI consultancies for contact and capability detail (Top AI consulting companies in Charlotte, NC directory and contact details).

So what: pairing a state‑approved vendor from 920S with a Charlotte integrator reduces contracting friction and helps launch measurable pilots under existing compliance guardrails, accelerating cost and efficiency wins.

“Adopting this innovative technology has helped us deliver improved results to our constituents and to taxpayers.” - State Treasurer Brad Briner

Track ROI in Charlotte by pairing narrowly scoped KPIs (call‑center handle time, case backlog, cost‑per‑transaction) with straightforward financial tallies - Basware's “AI to ROI” report shows savings exceed $1.36m for every $1m invested over three years and a 136% spike in ROI in financial workflows, so reportable dollar wins can be achieved from modest pilots (Basware AI to ROI report).

Combine those financial metrics with staff‑productivity measures (hours recovered per week, tasks shifted from manual to strategic) noted in GenAI ROI guidance, and publish a short, regular dashboard (baseline, 30/90/365‑day updates) that shows both cost reductions and qualitative gains in service quality.

Use the Charlotte playbook in the local guide to tie pilot results to regional scaling via shared services and to standardize reporting templates for councils and CFOs (Complete Guide to Using AI in Charlotte (2025)).

So what: a clearly scoped 8–12 week pilot that tracks dollars saved per transaction and hours freed can convert political support into budgeted expansion within a single fiscal year.

“We've been speaking with customers during our World Tour and it's clear that some finance leaders are facing the most pressure they've felt in 40 years. Companies prioritizing AI investment in areas that drive significant ROI becomes essential for gaining CFO and boardroom approval. It's not solely about saving money but funding the ability to accelerate growth.” - Jason Kurtz, CEO of Basware

Through 2030 Charlotte's public sector is poised to shift from individual experiments to shared, measurable AI services that turn pilot wins into recurring budget relief: state analysis frames AI as useful across traffic management, appraisals, and public‑safety tools while flagging retraining and governance as prerequisites (UNC SOG report: AI Uses in North Carolina); a 12‑week North Carolina Department of State Treasurer pilot that integrated ChatGPT already surfaced “millions of dollars” in potential unclaimed property, proving modest pilots can yield immediate, reportable savings (N.C. Department of State Treasurer ChatGPT pilot press release).

With global forecasts projecting AI to add as much as 14% to GDP by 2030, Charlotte can capture value by standardizing data, running privacy threshold analyses, and scaling successful 8–12 week pilots into shared GovAI services - so what: a single, well‑scoped pilot that frees even a few staff hours per week can be the concrete proof point that wins recurring funding and accelerates regional AI competency (Global AI economic impact statistics 2024–2025).

“Our team set out to find out how we could modernize our department, while still providing top notch service to folks across the state… As this pilot program wraps up, we are thrilled to say our divisions were able to take that publicly available information and utilize ChatGPT in ways that resulted in tangible and measurable improvements to their daily workflow.” - State Treasurer Brad Briner

Charlotte government beginners should treat AI adoption as a disciplined, local process: start with a single 8–12 week pilot, lean on shared templates and peer experience, and invest in staff skills so savings are repeatable.

Practical next steps include joining the GovAI Coalition to access ready‑made AI policy templates, vendor registries, and a peer network (the Coalition lists Charlotte among hundreds of public members and publishes templates useful for procurement and incident response) - see GovAI Coalition membership and templates for membership and resources (GovAI Coalition membership and templates for public agencies); review state‑focused guidance and use cases from the UNC School of Government to align pilots with North Carolina priorities (UNC School of Government AI uses in North Carolina guidance); and upskill staff with practical prompt‑writing and tool‑use training like Nucamp's AI Essentials for Work bootcamp to convert pilot learnings into measurable efficiencies (Nucamp AI Essentials for Work bootcamp syllabus and registration).

So what: joining these networks and training one cohort can turn a single pilot's hours‑saved metric into a district‑wide budget win and a replicable playbook for shared regional services.

“If we wait for AI to become a problem, it's probably already too late.” - Khaled Tawfik, Chief Information Officer, City of San José