AI Made Practical for Public Agencies
The UCPCOG AI Network provides a clear, affordable path for local governments to use artificial intelligence without needing a large budget or IT department. This network delivers secure, shared AI tools and practical public sector training to meet you where you are.
Built for Small and Mid-Sized Public Agencies
The UCPCOG AI Network was created to help local governments take practical steps toward using artificial intelligence, without needing an IT department, a big budget, or outside consultants. This network gives your agency access to shared AI tools, public sector training, and vetted vendors, all supported by a governance structure that protects your data and keeps humans in charge. Whether you are just beginning to explore AI or ready to put it to work in daily operations, the UCPCOG AI Network is built to meet you where you are.
The AI Academy: Your Public Sector Training Hub
Our 8-course online curriculum gives your staff a clear roadmap for using AI responsibly and effectively. The program covers everything from AI fundamentals and prompt engineering to data analysis and governance.
Your Annual Subscription Includes:
- A Curriculum Designed for Government: Practical, easy-to-follow training suitable for group or self-paced learning.
- Ready-to-Use Resources: Includes templates, quizzes, and checklists to apply what you learn immediately.
- Expert Guidance: Quarterly coaching sessions to answer your specific questions.
- An Ever-Growing Library: Your membership provides full access to the 8 core courses, plus all new courses and content as they are released throughout the year.
A Smart Investment in Your Agency’s Future
To develop this expanding curriculum with outside consultants would cost over $10,000. The UCPCOG AI Network gives your agency a year of unlimited, evolving training for a fraction of that cost.
(Note: All eight core courses will be available on the platform by mid September 2025.)
What the AI Network Offers
A 8-course online curriculum covering AI basics, prompt writing, document tools, governance, and staff upskilling.
- Public agencies
- Easy to follow and simple to use
- Suitable for group training or self-paced learning
- Includes templates, quizzes, checklists, and quarterly coaching
- New content added throughout the year
Core AI Training
This core AI training content will give your local government staff a roadmap on how to perform an organizational AI assessment, a strong introduction to Generative AI, train them on prompt engineering, teach data analysis with AI, show them how to create media content, explain AI governance and risk topics, and go over popular AI tools.
Secure Enterprise Grade AI Platform
GovAI is a secure enterprise-grade AI platform that is available and affordable for rural and small metro governments or governmental entities. You don’t have to worry about your information being leaked to giant corporations, and GovAI is compliant with open records requirements. The UCPCOG serves as the AI expert on your behalf, and will work with GovAI to build out new features.
Qualified AI Vendor List
The UCPCOG will work with trusted partners to develop a list of AI vendors who are willing to work in rural and small metro areas. They will be reviewed for compliance with best practices for AI governance, safety and security standards, and to ensure they have a history of quality work with local governments.
The GovAI Platform: Your Secure AI Workspace
Move from theory to practice. The GovAI Platform is a secure AI environment built for the daily work of local government, allowing you to use AI for practical tasks while keeping your data safe.
Key Platform Features:
- Custom AI Assistants: Securely upload your local policies, codes, and documents to create assistants trained on your agency’s specific information.
- Support for Core Operations: Get AI-powered help with permitting, citizen requests, code enforcement, grant applications, and more.
- Uncompromising Security: Your data is protected with zero data retention, PII filters, SOC 2 compliance, and full audit trails.
- Simple to Manage: Designed for public agencies without dedicated IT staff. No complex setup or maintenance is required.
You get both the tools and the training.
It’s not enough to know what AI is. Option 2 gives your agency a secure platform where AI can support real work like reviewing documents, helping citizens, or drafting grant language. At the same time, your staff receives training to use it responsibly and effectively.
It’s built for government, not tech companies.
The GovAI platform was designed specifically for small and mid-sized public agencies. There is no data retention, no complicated setup, and no need for in-house IT staff. Your team gets a secure, practical environment that works with how local government operates. GovAI is compliant with record retention requirements commonly outlined by federal or state rules and regulations.
You stay in control.
Every agency that joins signs an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the UCPCOG to join the AI Network, and clearly defines payment terms along with rights, responsibilities, and protections. The IGA keeps your data secure and ensures your staff remains the final decision-maker.
It saves time, money, and guesswork.
Instead of starting from scratch, Option 2 gives you a system that has already been vetted, tested, and aligned with public sector needs. You also get help from UCPCOG staff and peer agencies who are already using the platform though community message boards, scheduled training by GovAI, and quarterly coaching sessions organized by the UCPCOG.
The bottom line
If your agency wants to start using AI for tasks like permitting, grant writing, or citizen service, not just learn about it, Option 2 gives you the structure and support to do it right. The training is already built in. The tools are ready to go. You just need to take the next step.
Eligibility: Who Can Join
AI Academy (Training Only)
Our online training academy is open to any public agency, non-profit, or educational institution, regardless of location. We welcome any organization committed to the responsible use of AI.
GovAI Platform (Training + Platform)
Due to data governance and intergovernmental agreements, access to the secure GovAI Platform is currently available to the following organizations:
- Any Council of Government (COG) or other public entity located within North Carolina.
- Councils of Government (COGs) within the SERDI member states:
-
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Georgia
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Mississippi
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Virginia
- West Virginia
- Any SERDI-Affiliate Member COG