Digital Services

Artificial intelligence is gaining in popularity and strength — but it’s far from universally reliable. A new survey finds Southern accents are particularly difficult for AI to comprehend. This included the Outer Banks “Hoi Toider accent.”

Various Microsoft 365 and Azure services went down for about eight hours Tuesday. This time, a distributed denial-of-service attack, and a mishap with the company’s cyber defenses, were behind the outage.

The new program, which the public can access online, maps crimes in the city using 15 icons to show arson, assault, burglary, vandalism and vehicle burglaries. It retains data for up to 180 days, though precise locations are not shown.

John Matelski, the longtime CIO and director of innovation and technology at DeKalb County, Ga., is stepping down from the public sector. He will join the Center for Digital Government at e.Republic next week.

Tuneberg, a private- and public-sector technologist, will lead the division of the Colorado Governor’s Office of Information Technology. Her work at the state includes exponentially scaling COVID-19 testing during the pandemic.

The library system has restored its Wi-Fi network and Internet access to publicly available computers, following a ransomware attack April 5 that disrupted phone lines as well. Mobile printing, however, remains offline.

The state’s new Disability Information Hub offers information about state programs, resources and assistance for people with disabilities. Their input helped guide its development and design.

A new app that went live Monday lets residents in the Pennsylvania village get alerts and updates in real time from the police department, ask for vacation checks on their properties and send confidential tips.

Customers of the financial institution, Webster Bank, had accessibility problems during the global technology outage that began Friday. The bank, headquartered in Stamford, Conn., said the issues have since been resolved.

MyCitations has helped about 177,000 people cut their court fines by an average of $277 each. Launched in 2019, it has yielded combined reductions of about $49 million. The tool is available at courthouses statewide.

The Tennessee city has affirmed Jerele Neeld as chief information officer, roughly four months after he became its interim CIO. Neeld joined Chattanooga in January after a career in the private sector.

The state is giving the city of Port and the town of Merrimac more than $76,000 in grants to enhance their postures. It will go toward updating incident response plans and improving their ability to respond to an attack.

The money, allocated by a budget trailer bill, will enable the California State Payroll System Project to hire a system integrator. The initiative, underway since 2016, will replace a significant piece of legacy.

The state's new CIO has worked with the North Dakota Information Technology department for nearly 20 years. Now, the relationships he has built will support and inform the implementation of his vision for IT.

The new app, created in partnership with SaferWatch is mainly used by law enforcement and schools. The county will offer real-time alerts and information on local events through it; it can also intake tips to the county sheriff.

Announced Monday, the Foodborne Illness Notification System from the Washington Department of Health is an online platform residents can use to notify authorities about illness or food safety concerns.

The new council, chaired by Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, held its inaugural gathering at the end of June, six months after it was announced. The group may create committees to get more heavily involved in day-to-day operations.

In an email Wednesday, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles said it will revise the Florida Smart ID application, and asked users to delete it. The app has since been deactivated.