The national conversation around artificial intelligence is dominated by voices on the coasts, whether it’s machine-learning engineers in San Francisco or venture capitalists in New York. On the news every day, there are arguments about whether AI will save humanity or destroy it. But just a few hundred miles inland in Bowling Green, Kentucky, a different story is emerging: one that places freedom of speech and community engagement at the heart.
Bowling Green just hosted the largest “digital town hall” in U.S. history, and the talk about AI isn’t focused on models or competition. It’s about how technology can help people reach their local leaders on issues that matter most to them: building better schools, safer roads, and a more responsive and efficient local government.
That’s what brought the two of us, a judge-executive from Warren County, Kentucky, and a tech CEO from New York, together. We come from different worlds and professions, but we found common ground in a shared belief that AI should be used to help real people solve real problems. The impact of AI shouldn’t be shaped by hype or the “thought leaders” trying to divide or score points. It should be shaped by the needs of the communities it benefits most.
We’re not alone. Across Middle America, miles away from the echo chambers touting billion-dollar valuations, people are applying AI practically. In Iowa, farmers are using AI to get better crop yields. In rural Michigan, small clinics rely on AI-powered telemedicine to treat patients who’d otherwise have to drive hours to see a doctor. In Tennessee, it’s helping trucking companies run more efficiently. We shouldn’t let big debates over AI’s future overshadow the real ways it’s already helping working-class communities today.
In Bowling Green and its county, the need was clear: With the population expected to nearly double by 2050, the community risked having change happen to it, not for it. Bowling Green’s people and its broader population wanted to be heard, and local leaders were looking for a better way to listen. Town halls and surveys weren’t meeting the mark.
So we teamed up alongside local partners to try something new: asking everyone in town to share their priorities in their own words and using AI to understand the feedback. The goal was simple: Involve residents in shaping the town’s future.
The online conversation, called “What Could BG Be,” showed what’s possible when free speech meets thoughtful technology. One in 10 residents joined in, sharing thousands of ideas and over 1 million reactions. AI helped make sure every voice was heard — like it was listening to an 8,000-person town hall where everyone talked at once for a month and still made sense of it all.
The insights we gathered are now guiding Bowling Green’s long-term plans, ensuring the future reflects what residents truly want, not just assumptions or guesses. One surprising result: Over half of the 4,000 ideas had near-universal support.
When residents can speak freely and anonymously, they’re often more united than expected. This month-long conversation was nothing like Bowling Green’s usual town halls, where few show up and the residents who do are typically opposing proposals such as new roads or developments while rarely offering alternatives. This new approach changed that, and we hope it inspires other communities to explore how technology can improve public input and engagement.
Others are also using AI for similar local efforts. In Savannah, Georgia, for example, local leaders are training workers to take advantage of the economic opportunities created by AI. All over the country, communities are finding ways for AI to solve real problems in real time.
That’s an important lesson, especially for the tech industry. Too often, AI conversations revolve around what’s next — which chatbot feels most human or which model breaks a new benchmark. But in most of the country, the urgency is different. It’s not about the next big product — it’s about what AI can do to help communities now.
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Collaboration between tech and government works when we break out of our silos. In Bowling Green, it worked because we listened. The local government brought the voices of the community together, and the tech side brought the tools to make sense of it all. That mix didn’t just make the solution smarter — it made it something people could actually use.
While the coastal tech world continues its fascination with theoretical futures, Middle America is demonstrating the power of AI when it’s grounded in real-world needs. It’s a reminder that the most important conversations about technology shouldn’t just take place in Silicon Valley or in Washington’s K Street corridor, but in places such as Bowling Green where the challenges are real, the goals are practical, and the people who live there desire to shape the future vision for their families and communities.
Doug Gorman is the judge-executive of Warren County, Kentucky. Yasmin Green is the CEO of Jigsaw.