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

Wilmington city leaders can harness practical AI tools - chatbots for 24/7 constituent support, traffic-signal optimization, aerial imagery for property assessment, and automated budgeting narratives - to shave costs and speed services.

A 12-week North Carolina Department of State Treasurer pilot with OpenAI reportedly uncovered “millions of dollars” in potential unclaimed property, showing tangible returns for state agencies (North Carolina Department of State Treasurer press release on the OpenAI pilot), while compilations of municipal case studies catalog real-world uses from meeting transcription to trash monitoring (ClearGov municipal AI case studies and real-world examples).

For municipal staff ready to lead safe, small pilots, targeted training like the AI Essentials for Work bootcamp registration and syllabus teaches prompt-writing and workplace AI skills that turn pilots into measurable savings.

“Our team set out to find out how we could modernize our department, while still providing top notch service to folks across the state…” - State Treasurer Brad Briner

Across North Carolina, state agencies are moving from theory to hands‑on pilots to see where AI actually helps public servants - most notably the Department of State Treasurer's 12‑week ChatGPT trial that an independent review documented in a detailed 48‑page report; the study found dramatic speedups (in some cases a 20‑minute task completed in 20 seconds), average daily time savings of 30–60+ minutes, and early productivity gains of roughly 10% while emphasizing human oversight and privacy “bright red lines” (North Carolina Department of State Treasurer independent Aug. 1 OpenAI trial report and press release).

The pilot - a publicly announced partnership and 12‑week test with OpenAI and NCCU's Institute for Artificial Intelligence - targeted Unclaimed Property and state/local finance work and even helped identify “millions” in potential unclaimed property, showing how focused trials can translate into tangible recoveries and faster audits (initial analysis of the DST and OpenAI 12‑week pilot results).

At the same time, reports note limitations (hallucinations and a learning curve) and recommend measured training, clear use policies, and continuing small, risk‑aware pilots so local governments can reap efficiency without sacrificing accuracy.

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

Wilmington can turn statewide lessons into street‑level savings by starting with high‑volume, low‑risk automation: a public-facing chatbot to answer permit questions, utility billing FAQs, and recreation schedules; AI‑assisted budget narrative drafting to shorten finance cycles; aerial imagery and 3D mapping for faster property assessments; and drone or camera‑based trash monitoring to cut inspection hours.

North Carolina's Division of Employment Security shows how a carefully scoped, knowledge‑base grounded chatbot can handle thousands of routine inquiries - 2,700 in its first month - freeing staff for complex cases and surfacing redesign opportunities (NCDES generative AI chatbot case study on AWS).

Municipal pilots elsewhere demonstrate concrete wins - from auto‑drafted budget narratives to scanning 35,000 images in 18 hours for trash monitoring and even targeted ad campaigns that recovered delinquent utility revenue - illustrating practical paths Wilmington agencies can replicate at modest cost and clear success metrics (ClearGov local government AI case studies and examples).

“We asked ourselves, why are people calling? How can we improve the experience, so they don't have to?” - Raju Gadiraju, CIO, NCDES

Begin small and safe by treating AI like any other municipal project: pick one low‑risk, high‑impact use case (document management, intelligent document processing, or an internal permit/billing chatbot), inventory the data that will feed it, and limit the pilot to a single queue so staff can validate accuracy before expanding; experts urge this use‑case‑first, data‑centered approach as the clearest path to practical gains (StateTech guide to building AI readiness around use cases and data).

Coordinate early with statewide partners and playbooks - examples and policies from UNC's ncIMPACT highlight short‑term steps like AI strategic planning, vendor demos, and pilot selection that local governments can adopt (UNC ncIMPACT playbook: AI uses in North Carolina).

Finally, vet vendors and contracts carefully, require clear privacy protections and data portability, and learn from ongoing state pilots such as the North Carolina Treasurer's 12‑week OpenAI collaboration so Wilmington agencies can document measurable benefits before scaling (North Carolina Treasurer OpenAI 12‑week AI pilot announcement).

“Start with the use cases and look at the data elements that are needed.” - Jim Weaver, Former CIO, North Carolina

Technology choices for Wilmington agencies come down to three clear trade‑offs: cost and agility vs. control and compliance, with hybrid models bridging the gap.

Commercial cloud offers flexibility and lower upfront costs, fast scaling, and a broad ecosystem - while on‑premises keeps tight control over data and legacy systems (see a handy Cloud vs.

On‑Premise guide for government leaders Cloud vs. On‑Premise: Choosing the Right Solution).

For sensitive workloads - think law‑enforcement records, health data, or federally regulated files - AWS GovCloud provides physical and logical isolation, FedRAMP/ITAR/CJIS support, and strict U.S.‑person access rules, like keeping the most sensitive files in a vault only vetted U.S. operators can open (AWS GovCloud: Basics & How It Compares).

Hybrid connectivity (Direct Connect and multi‑account patterns) lets Wilmington split workloads - public services and analytics in commercial regions, sensitive systems in GovCloud - trading some added networking and governance work for compliance and predictable performance.

The smart path: map each use case to its compliance needs, estimate long‑term operational costs (including vendor lock‑in and service availability differences), and pilot a hybrid design with clear guardrails and measurements.

Wilmington's path to practical AI starts with people: reskilling existing staff, recruiting local talent, and using immersive tools to shrink onboarding from months to weeks.

Local options make that realistic - Cape Fear Community College is launching an Applied Artificial Intelligence program for Fall 2025 that includes hands‑on labs in data analysis, NLP, computer vision, and ethics (enrollment is open at CFCC), while Wilmington startup Skillmaker.AI delivers XR headsets and smart glasses that let technicians learn by doing and even be remotely certified, a demo that reportedly drew a standing ovation.

For city leaders worried about disruption, NC State's AI Academy offers employer‑partnered credentials and paid on‑the‑job training (courses run about $1,750 each), so agencies can combine classroom fundamentals, short certificated tracks, and on‑the‑job mentoring to redeploy staff into roles that manage chatbots, automate permit processing, or analyze imagery.

Mix formal certificates, vendor pilots, and apprenticeship‑style mentoring to keep institutional knowledge, build trust, and measure time‑saved and service quality before scaling.

“You can actually look through the headset, and over top of that it is the digital information, but you're using real tools. I don't have to have an instructor there, you're using real tools, working on these items.” - Robin Cowie

Measuring success and scaling AI in Wilmington starts with SMART, use‑case‑aligned KPIs that blend hard time‑savings with human experience measures: track resolution rates and self‑service adoption, average resolution time, employee time saved, and user satisfaction (surveys and effort scores) while capturing qualitative feedback for continuous improvement - guidance from KPI playbooks stresses mixing quantitative and qualitative signals to prove value and guide scale (Gen AI pilot KPIs and metrics guide).

Use the North Carolina Treasurer's 12‑week OpenAI pilot as a local proof point: the experiment documented roughly a 10% productivity boost and jaw‑dropping examples - tasks that once took 20 minutes were done in 20 seconds, and a 90‑minute audit review dropped to a third of the time - so Wilmington agencies should log interaction data, set clear accuracy thresholds, and require human‑in‑the‑loop checks before broad rollout (North Carolina Treasurer 12‑week OpenAI pilot announcement, news report on NC Treasurer AI pilot time‑savings).

Start with narrow success criteria, publish regular findings, and expand only when KPIs (time saved, deflection rate, accuracy, and satisfaction) meet predefined thresholds - this disciplined loop turns early wins into accountable, city‑wide improvements.

“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.” - Treasurer Brad Briner

Wilmington agencies planning pilots should balance the clear efficiency upside with concrete legal and ethical guardrails: state lawmakers are already filling the federal gap with a patchwork of AI rules that stress transparency and anti‑discrimination safeguards (see reporting on state AI and privacy action), and North Carolina's own privacy framework requires practical steps on notice, security, and consumer rights - so don't treat data as disposable (state AI and privacy regulation roundup).

Operational best practices include banning sensitive inputs into public GenAI tools, mandating human‑in‑the‑loop review for consequential decisions, vetting vendors for NCCPA compliance, and building approval gates into purchasing (UNCW's responsible‑use guidance flags that “default” generative AI is not private).

Be alert to real harms - researchers documented incidents where models exposed other customers' financial data - and to enforcement risk under the North Carolina Consumer Privacy Act (NCCPA), which took effect Jan.

1, 2024 and allows Attorney General actions and penalties for violations. Practical steps: map data sensitivity to platform choice, require privacy notices, log and audit model outputs, and train staff on red‑flags before scaling.

“The longer we wait, the more behind we are in understanding how it's being utilized, stopping or preventing potential damage from happening, or even not being able to harness some of the efficiency that comes with it…” - Rep. Krista Griffith

Two fast, practical North Carolina pilots offer sharp lessons for Wilmington: the State Treasurer's 12‑week ChatGPT trial helped staff move from paperwork to problem‑solving - examples included a 20‑minute task done in 20 seconds and a 90‑minute audit review cut to a third of the time - yielding roughly a 10% productivity boost and identifying “millions of dollars” in potential unclaimed property (North Carolina State Treasurer ChatGPT trial initial analysis, Independent August 1 evaluation of the ChatGPT pilot), while a separate N.C. agency chatbot handled thousands of routine inquiries in its first month - freeing staff to focus on complex cases and service redesign (NCDES generative AI chatbot case study on AWS describing routine inquiry automation).

The takeaway for Wilmington: scope narrow pilots to high‑volume, low‑risk workflows, enforce the “bright red line” on private data, require human‑in‑the‑loop checks, and measure time‑saved and accuracy before scaling so small wins become accountable, city‑wide improvements.

“Our team set out to find out how we could modernize our department, while still providing top notch service to folks across the state…” - State Treasurer Brad Briner

Wilmington leaders ready to act should use the playbooks already built for municipalities: start by downloading ready‑made templates and slide decks from the Regional Government Services AI Resources hub and the GovAI Coalition's Templates & Resources to fast‑track an AI policy, governance checklist, and incident response plan (Regional Government Services AI resources for local government, GovAI Coalition templates and resources from the City of San José).

Pair those tools with a short, accountable pilot (limited scope, human‑in‑the‑loop checks, clear KPIs), use the Coalition's AI FactSheet and vendor templates for procurement, and invest in staff readiness - practical courses such as Nucamp's 15‑week AI Essentials for Work teach prompt writing and workplace AI skills that help turn pilots into measurable savings (Nucamp AI Essentials for Work registration and syllabus).

These steps let Wilmington move from planning to visible wins without reinventing policy or procurement, and they connect city teams to a growing network of peer cities and reusable contracts.

“Artificial intelligence's impact on municipal operations cannot be overstated.” - Rodney Roberts, CIO, City of Greensboro