Practical artificial intelligence, deployed in the real world
I've spent years working with artificial intelligence in environments where failure has real consequences — not sandboxes or demos, but a 911 dispatch center where someone's life might depend on whether the technology works correctly at 3 a.m. on a Tuesday.
As Executive Director of Saginaw County 911, I led the deployment of one of Michigan's first AI-powered systems in a public safety answering point. The system used natural language processing to handle non-emergency calls — routing questions about fireworks schedules, road closures, and business hours — so trained dispatchers could focus on life-threatening emergencies. That deployment was covered by WNEM TV5 and discussed in an APCO International webinar.
I've also spoken publicly about the dangers of AI-powered voice cloning targeting 911 systems — a threat that most dispatch centers are unprepared for.
After years of building, deploying, and living with AI systems, I've come to believe a few things strongly:
AI should augment human judgment, not replace it. The dispatcher who knows that a certain address has a history. The gardener who knows the south bed dries faster. These are forms of intelligence that deserve protection.
The people closest to the work should guide the technology. AI built without frontline input fails. The best systems I've seen were shaped by the hands that would use them.
Patience is not optional. AI systems need time to learn, to accumulate data, to smooth their rough edges through real-world use. A garden teaches this lesson every season.
I write regularly about AI on LinkedIn, where articles like Intelligence Is Getting Cheap. Insight Isn't. and Stop Chasing AI Headlines. Build a Small, Boring Practice. have reached thousands of readers.
I also write on Medium, at The AI Breakdown, and in the AI section of Freighter View Farms.
Selected pieces:
On the difference between raw AI capability and the human judgment that gives it meaning.
Why daily consistency with AI tools matters more than chasing every new release.
A look at the emerging world of autonomous AI agents and what it means for the future of work.
How AI office agents are arriving faster than most people think — and what that means.
More
See the full LinkedIn writing collection, read press coverage, or learn about my community work including the Save Our Shoreline board.