Will County Survey Reveals Widespread AI Use as IT Drafts Governance Policy

Will County Capital Improvements & IT Committee Meeting | April 7, 2026

Article Summary: An internal survey revealed that nearly a dozen Will County departments are already utilizing Artificial Intelligence software in their daily operations, prompting the IT Department to draft a comprehensive AI governance policy expected by June.

AI Policy Key Points:

• Eleven county departments, including the Health Department, Sheriff, and Circuit Clerk, report using AI in their office functions.

• Popular tools include ChatGPT, Microsoft Co-Pilot, Canva, and the Sheriff’s Office’s “Draft One” Axon program.

• The majority of departments indicated that their AI programs had not been vetted by the State’s Attorney or the IT Department.

• A formal, countywide AI policy is expected to be drafted and presented to the committee by June or July.

The Will County Board Capital Improvements & IT Committee on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, reviewed the results of a countywide survey indicating that Artificial Intelligence (AI) has firmly taken root in local government operations, accelerating the need for a formal governance policy.

According to the survey results provided in the agenda packet, 11 county departments are currently utilizing AI. Adopters include the Health Department, Sheriff, Records Management, Workforce Services Division, Recorder of Deeds, Circuit Clerk, Emergency Management, Coroner, Children’s Advocacy, County Clerk, and the Treasurer.

The tools being utilized range from broad Large Language Models like ChatGPT, Microsoft Co-Pilot, and Claude, to specialized software. The Will County Sheriff’s Office reported using ChatGPT for press releases and noted plans to implement “Draft One,” an Axon program that uses AI to assist with writing. The Recorder of Deeds utilizes an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) element within its Land Records Software, while the Circuit Clerk uses a product called CSI, owned by Tyler Tech.

“A lot of offices are using ChatGPT, Co-Pilot… those seem to be what’s used now,” an IT representative told the committee.

However, the survey also highlighted a critical compliance gap: when asked if their AI programs had undergone any vetting by the State’s Attorney or the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) department, the vast majority of departments answered “No.”

“I think if you’ll take a look at that section of the survey, you’ll note that a lot of them say that they have not [been vetted],” the IT representative said. “That is one of the directives… for the new AI policy, is that there will be some overview for pretty much anything that anybody wants to use.”

Committee Chair Mica Freeman (D-Plainfield) praised the departments for their honesty, emphasizing that the impending policy is meant to protect the county, not punish innovation.

“Just an appreciation for getting this sent out and for each department supplying their answers with full transparency and honesty,” Freeman said. “Nobody’s getting in trouble here. We want to take a baseline of what’s actually happening with AI in the different departments… We’re not trying to discourage the use of AI. We’re just trying to protect employees and make sure everything’s on the right track.”

According to the “Artificial Intelligence Policy Directives” document included in the packet, the forthcoming policy will mandate human oversight and strictly prohibit AI from replacing county employees or eliminating positions. It will also require that all AI tools be formally reviewed and approved by the county’s designated IT authority.

The IT Department plans to meet with staff later this week to begin drafting the formal policy, with a first draft expected to be presented to the committee in June or July.