POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — More than 200 government, business, and non-profit leaders came to Marist University on April 9 for the 2026 Hudson Valley Artificial Intelligence summit, which examined how artificial intelligence is transforming governments and business while affecting decision making and policy.
The event, hosted by Marist University and the Dutchess County Office of Central and Information Services, examined ways municipalities, school districts, fire and police agencies, nonprofit organizations, local businesses, and others are on their paths to transforming AI into practical solutions.
Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino’s Office said representatives from private sector industry, educational institutions and state and county agencies discussed topics such as “integrating ethics into practical AI solutions; the foundations of AI, including literacy, ethics and workforce development; putting AI to work, including how to prepare attendees’ teams for success with AI and operational efficiency; how to apply AI to real-world problems; AI in various settings such as healthcare and clinical applications and emergency management.”
“As businesses and organizations continue to incorporate AI into their day‑to‑day operations to support their workforce and boost efficiency, it’s important to keep ethics at the forefront of those efforts,” Serino said in a press release. “Using AI responsibly helps make sure we continue to build trust, empower people, and improve our work on behalf of our residents.”
Serino’s office added that Dutchess County is leveraging AI for efficiency and providing better service to the public.
“Currently, AI is used to streamline tasks such as refine or compare versions of documents to identify missing information, conduct research or review large volumes of information,” the office said. “Employees use AI to develop information content for the public that is easy to understand with plain language rather than complicated acronyms or government jargon.”
Serino also said the county’s Department of Community and Family Services is considering a new AI-powered call center that officials say would “safely and securely answer calls about temporary assistance benefits and guide people through the intake process, helping to get applications completed faster and improve client satisfaction.”
The county’s Office of Central and Information Services continues to work on staff training and developing the county’s AI policy to ensure responsible use of the technology with “strong standards for ethics, security, accountability, and transparency,” according to Serino.
Marist touted its institutional AI strategy that the university said will “ensure every student — across all majors — graduates prepared to thrive in an increasingly AI-driven world” while continuing a “commitment to a liberal arts education, experiential learning, and technological innovation.”
Kevin Gallagher, the assistant dean of Marist’s School of Liberal Arts, said in the release, “This summit is exciting because it gives us a chance to put that vision into practice, with education, industry, government, and healthcare in the same room in conversation with one another. That kind of cross-sector dialogue is the best way we will all best address both the challenges and the opportunities that AI presents.”
