Inside the Artificial Intelligence Revolution for Parks and Recreation: Everything You’ve Wanted to Ask ChatGPT

Wednesday, September 30 from 1:15 PM - 2:15 PM EST

Room 114 (Michael A. Nutter Theatre)

Session Type: 1-Hour Education Session

Topic(s):
Accessibility, Community Engagement, Customer Service, Leadership and Personnel Management, Technology

Description:
Everyone is talking about using artificial intelligence (AI) in parks in recreation, but almost no one has direct access to the people actually building it — this session is here to change that. After last year’s packed NRPA Annual Conference session, we are coming back with a bigger and bolder conversation. Join Gary Yang, product lead on OpenAI’s most famous product, ChatGPT, John Kiwala, director of parks and recreation at Glenview (Illinois) Park District, and Birju Kadakia, CEO of Rec Technologies, to learn how cutting-edge AI is being created inside the world’s most influential AI platform and what that means for the future of parks and recreation. Expect candid insights, real examples and authentic debates to help you evaluate how to bring AI into your department to build better programs and recreational experiences for residents. This is your front-row seat to what happens next.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to design AI-enabled service models that integrate conversational intelligence, operational data and staff workflows to deliver higher-quality resident experiences at scale.

2. Participants will be able to evaluate AI capabilities from ChatGPT and other AI tools through a governance lens and develop criteria for ethical deployment, risk mitigation and equality safeguards.

3. Participants will identify potential processes that can use advanced large language models to amplify staff expertise, accelerate decision making and unlock new forms of community engagement not previously possible.

Speaker(s):
Birju Kadakia
John Kiwala
Gary Yang