How Arlington County used AI to improve emergency preparednessHow Arlington County used AI to improve emergency preparedness

Emergency response management is a high-stakes space. Each decision can mean life or death, which makes training and preparing for these scenarios critical. 

Over the course of a year, a three-person team from George Mason University worked to improve preparedness via AI-powered games for the Department of Public Safety Communications and Emergency Management in Arlington, Virginia. 

Using an iterative process and feedback from Arlington County department members, the team created two interactive games, called Go-Repair and Go-Rescue, which simulated infrastructure maintenance, resource allocation and evacuations. The dynamic learning environment provided utility managers and volunteers with a wider scope and more flexibility than traditional training methods.

“AI optimization and reinforcement learning models calculate the optimal decisions, and this allows players to assess whether their decisions are better or worse comparatively,” said Shima Mohebbi, assistant professor in the Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research at GMU and the project’s leader.

Incorporating AI into training enables the department to better identify areas of improvement in decision-making and provides a tool to learn from mistakes without real-world consequences. To avoid subjectivity often seen in large language models, the researchers developed a model with a mathematical foundation and used reinforcement learning. 

Enterprises can also gain value from incorporating AI into training and workforce development, from adaptive learning platforms to AI-augmented skills assessments. More than 3 in 5 HR pros expect AI to wholly transform the way training is currently conducted, according to a survey by management consulting firm OC&C Strategy Consultants. Most respondents said they were looking to expand AI adoption to talent management. 

To infuse AI into training, business leaders can choose off-the-shelf options. Most corporate training providers, including Coursera, Skillsoft and LinkedIn Learning, have added the technology to their tech stacks to some degree, and CIOs can also look into developing in-house solutions. 

Mohebbi said leaders interested in developing a similar solution to Go-Repair and Go-Rescue should start by getting a clear understanding of the problem they want to address. To do that, Mohebbi’s team focused on connecting with stakeholders.

AI model decisions

Despite the current spike in interest regarding generative AI, Mohebbi’s team didn’t pursue that particular branch of artificial intelligence. 

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