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

AI is moving from theory to practice across Raleigh and the Research Triangle: a 12-week pilot between the North Carolina Department of State Treasurer and OpenAI used ChatGPT to comb public records and identified potential unclaimed property totaling in the millions of dollars - a concrete example of how automation can return taxpayer value (NC Department of State Treasurer press release on the ChatGPT pilot); Wake County leaders are already talking about 24/7 AI chatbots and other practical tools to streamline citizen services and boost efficiency (WRAL TechWire article on Wake County AI initiatives), and Raleigh projects like AI-assisted weather forecasting and urban planning show how models can augment, not replace, local expertise.

For city and county teams ready to start small and scale responsibly, focused training such as Nucamp's AI Essentials for Work helps staff write better prompts and integrate AI into daily workflows without a technical degree (Nucamp AI Essentials for Work registration).

The result: faster service, clearer decisions, and more time for public servants to solve the hard, human problems behind every ticket or permit.

Bootcamp	Details
AI Essentials for Work	15 weeks; early bird $3,582 / $3,942 after; practical AI skills and prompt writing; AI Essentials for Work syllabus • Register for Nucamp AI Essentials for Work

“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.”

Momentum is building at the city level across North Carolina as leaders watch national patterns and push local advantage: global research from Deloitte AI-powered cities study on urban AI transformation shows how AI can reshape planning, mobility and service delivery, while local reporting notes that the Research Triangle - with Raleigh and Durham among the region's most AI-exposed metros - stands to gain from productivity boosts even as it plans for workforce shifts (Triangle Business Journal report on Raleigh and Durham AI exposure and jobs).

Rather than chasing superstar metros, North Carolina can lean into its universities, community colleges and targeted pilots to capture the “focused mover” benefits that Route Fifty and Brookings researchers flag: nimble local programs can deliver outsized returns, like improved traffic predictions or automated back-office work, turning the Research Triangle into a turbocharged engine for smarter city services.

Study	Key stats
Deloitte - AI-powered cities	250 cities; 78 countries; 734M+ residents; 9% of global population

“All of this is important, because if this is, in fact, the transformative technology we're talking about, it's important who has it.”

Concrete, street-level wins are already rolling out across North Carolina: the state has deployed AI-powered signal software to roughly 2,500 intersections - the largest live statewide installation in the U.S. - giving traffic engineers continuous intersection performance data so they can detect issues early, prioritize interventions, and improve signal timing without new hardware or lengthy field studies (North Carolina AI-based traffic signals installation coverage).

Built by Flow Labs, the cloud-enabled system blends machine learning with high-penetration connected-vehicle data to surface real-world traffic patterns and congestion hotspots that used to require costly studies, turning routine operations into data-driven decisions that can reduce delays and improve safety across the Research Triangle and beyond (Flow Labs AI traffic signal network rollout in North Carolina), a vivid example of AI augmenting engineers rather than replacing them.

“North Carolina didn't just invest in a new tool – they embraced a new model for traffic operations,” said Jatish Patel, CEO of Flow Labs, in a statement.

Reducing technical debt in North Carolina often looks less like a demolition project and more like a smart overlay: AI can sit atop mainframes and file cabinets to index records, flag retention or disposal candidates using the State Archives' records management templates and inventories (State Archives records management tools for agency records management), link geospatial collections into operational workflows (the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection alone holds over 185,000 high‑resolution, georeferenced map files that can be made instantly searchable and tappable for planning teams), and stream insights from dense sensor archives - like NEXRAD radar stores - without swapping the hardware that produced them (NEXRAD radar data access and documentation).

Combine that overlay approach with incremental cloud and no‑code modernization playbooks - such as AWS's legacy transformation guidance - and agencies can migrate risk and cost off the balance sheet while automating tedious manual work, freeing staff to focus on policy and public-facing problems; the payoff is practical and visible, from searchable yellowed map scans to near‑real‑time weather analytics, all achieved without a multi‑year, all‑in rewrite (AWS legacy system transformation guidance for the public sector).

Legacy asset	Fact from research
State Archives	Provides forms, file plans, inventories and templates to assist agency records management
USGS HTMC	Contains over 185,000 high‑resolution, georeferenced historical topographic map files
NCAOC RPA	Transitioning from a mainframe RPA Legacy system to a new RPA Cloud (Enterprise Justice)

Operational AI and workflow automation are already turning into measurable wins for North Carolina agencies: automating constituent onboarding, digital mailrooms, and case workflows slashes processing time, reduces errors, and returns staff hours to front-line service.

Tools and platforms built for government - like Tungsten's intelligent automation solutions for application processing and case management - help capture and classify input at the point of entry so work arrives process-ready (Tungsten intelligent automation for government solutions), while centralized task-tracking projects such as eSwitchboard prove that unifying workflows improves transparency and ends weeks-long reporting bottlenecks (Eagle Hill Consulting centralized task-tracking workflow automation case study).

Practical, sector-focused examples show the payoff: replacing paper-based systems can accelerate enrollments by roughly 70%, letting staff spend time on complex cases instead of paperwork (myOneFlow digital enrollment case studies).

The result is straightforward - faster service, fewer mistakes, and reclaimed staff time that makes government more responsive where it matters most, from benefit determinations to permitting queues.

“We've been able to serve more people with quality services and programming with half the staffing we used to have through these technology solutions.”

Strong governance, ethics and risk management are the guardrails that let Raleigh and North Carolina turn AI and automation into public value without exposing citizens or agencies to avoidable harm: statewide programs like the FY24 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP) set concrete rules - roughly $8M in NC funding is being competitively distributed, applicants must cover a 30% match (a $250K award requires about $107,143 in local cost share) and projects must align with the State Cybersecurity Plan's elements (MFA, enhanced logging, encryption, no default passwords, continuity planning, and attention to rural pass-throughs) - see the SLCGP overview for details (NC SLCGP guidance and NOFO links).

Incident readiness and shared operational support matter just as much: the NC Joint Cybersecurity Task Force (JCTF) offers incident response and a 24‑hour watch for state, local and tribal entities so breaches trigger a coordinated playbook (NC JCTF resource and reporting).

Local outreach and workforce readiness - like Wake County's Cybersecurity workshops with CISA and AARP - help translate policy into practice for seniors, small businesses and municipal staff (Wake County Secure Our World cybersecurity workshops).

Combine grant discipline, required post‑award hygiene (CISA scanning and annual NCSR reporting) and accessible incident support to keep AI pilots ethical, private, and resilient while scaling across jurisdictions.

Program / Resource	What it provides (from research)
FY24 SLCGP (NC)	~$8,037,374 state award; 30% required match; 80% pass-through to local entities with 25% to rural; eligible planning, equipment, training, exercises
NC Joint Cybersecurity Task Force (JCTF)	Incident response, operational support, 24‑Hour Watch intake (NCEOC@NCDPS.GOV; 919‑733‑3300)
NCACC / CIS / MS‑ISAC	eRiskHub, 24×7 monitoring, threat advisories, incident response support and low‑cost cyber tools for counties

Start small with a narrow, time‑boxed pilot that ties directly to a measurable pain point - think a 12‑week sprint to surface unclaimed funds or flag audit anomalies - so teams can learn fast without exposing sensitive records; North Carolina's state treasurer used that exact approach in a limited MOU with OpenAI, emphasizing “bright red lines” around non‑public data and careful reporting of results (North Carolina OpenAI pilot program summary and outcomes).

Practical steps from NC State Extension's AI guidance help local teams translate that approach into action: define goals, pick approved tools, require institutional accounts (not personal ones), opt out of data sharing on free services, craft custom instructions, treat AI outputs as drafts, and build staff training into the pilot so prompt‑writing and verification become everyday habits (NC State Extension AI guidance and best practices for local governments).

Frame scaling around transparency and accountability - publish a simple use‑case inventory and testing notes so residents and auditors can see what's being tried and why (Center for Democracy & Technology guidance on public sector AI use‑case inventories) - and let early wins fund careful expansion rather than chasing wholesale rewrites.

Pilot element	Detail (from research)
Participants	North Carolina Dept. of State Treasurer and OpenAI
Duration	12 weeks (limited, non‑binding MOU)
Primary focus	Use public data to increase efficiency (unclaimed property, local finance audits)
Data rules	No access to private information; establish “bright red lines”
Payment	No payment for off‑the‑shelf ChatGPT during pilot (future arrangements possible)

“Innovation, particularly around data and technology, will allow our department to deliver better results for North Carolina. I am grateful to our friends at OpenAI for partnering with us on this new endeavor, and I am excited to explore the possibilities ahead.”

Managing the human side of AI in Raleigh starts with the robust training and reskilling scaffolding North Carolina already offers: the State's Workforce Professionals Tools & Resources and NCWorks Training Center provide professional development and guidance for local workforce teams (NC Commerce Workforce Professionals Tools & Resources), regional partners like the Capital Area Workforce Development Board run incumbent worker and employer-focused programs in Wake County, and technical upskilling - from apprenticeships through NC Community Colleges to hands‑on manufacturing coaching at NC State's IES - is available to make transitions practical and measurable.

Programs such as the free TRACKS‑CN Cyber4RAM digital badge give automation and robotics technicians a visible cybersecurity credential, while On‑the‑Job Training and Incumbent Worker grants help employers absorb training costs; pairing these tactics with evidence‑driven pilot designs (see Results for America's workforce policy roadmap) keeps change manageable and tied to outcomes (NCMEP Workforce & Training Programs, Results for America Workforce Policy Roadmap), so staff can move from manual bottlenecks to supervising AI-augmented workflows without a chaotic switchover.

Program	What it provides (from research)
NCWorks Training Center	Professional development services and comprehensive training for workforce professionals
Apprenticeships (NC Community Colleges)	Paid, on‑the‑job training with classroom instruction to build skilled talent
TRACKS‑CN Cyber4RAM	Free digital badge offering introductory cybersecurity training for robotics/automation backgrounds
Incumbent Worker Training	Supports employer training costs to upskill existing employees
On‑the‑Job Training (NC Dept. of Commerce)	Wage reimbursements to offset productivity loss during employee training

Over the next 5–10 years Raleigh and North Carolina could see AI move from pilots to everyday municipal plumbing: imagine 2,500 intersections across the state humming as adaptive signals shave minutes off commutes and clear paths for first responders - already underway with the largest live statewide deployment of AI-based traffic signal software in the U.S. (Smart Cities Dive: NC 2,500 AI traffic signals); broader adoption will follow where the business case is clear (national AI use remains relatively low today at about 5%, with higher pockets in information and professional services) so expect data analytics and marketing automation to spread into utilities, transportation, and local government operations (NC Commerce report on industry AI adoption).

Those operational gains will pair with sustainability wins - AI-driven energy and water management, smarter transit routing, and waste‑reduction systems documented in recent case studies - so cities can cut costs, reduce emissions, and free staff for complex human work (NC State MEM sustainability case studies on AI).

so what is simple:

fewer roadside delays, leaner service budgets, and more time for city teams to solve the problems that matter most.

Metric	Research-based fact
AI traffic signals	Approximately 2,500 intersections - largest live statewide deployment in the U.S.
Business AI adoption (U.S.)	Overall ~5% currently using AI; Information 18%; Professional, Scientific & Technical 12% (NC Commerce)

Getting started in Raleigh can be simple: pick one measurable pain point, run a short pilot, and use ready-made resources so legal and procurement don't become roadblocks.

Join the GovAI Coalition or borrow its ready-to-edit deliverables (AI Policy Manual, Incident Response Plan, AI FactSheet and Vendor Agreement) so small teams don't start from scratch - hundreds of local and state agencies (Raleigh among them) already share these templates, playbooks and a vendor registry (GovAI Coalition templates and membership).

Pair that with practical NC guidance: run vendor demos, pick a tightly scoped pilot, and treat outputs as drafts to be verified before use, as ncIMPACT recommends for North Carolina governments (ncIMPACT guidance on AI uses in North Carolina).

Lock down procurement and contracts using the GovAI Contract Hub to reduce vendor risk, and train staff on prompt-writing and verification with Nucamp's AI Essentials for Work to build durable skills (Nucamp AI Essentials for Work - registration).

The payoff is concrete: faster services, clearer contracts, and a compact, auditable trail from pilot to scale - not a risky leap but a ladder built of templates, pilots, and trained people.

Action	Resource
Adopt governance templates	GovAI Coalition templates and resources for government AI governance
Use shared contracts to reduce procurement risk	GovAI Coalition Contract Hub - shared contract templates and vendor registry
Train staff on prompts and practical AI use	Nucamp AI Essentials for Work - course registration and details