Sen. Cheryl Kagan / Photo courtesy Maryland General Assembly
Maryland will use Artificial Intelligence to establish the nation’s first statewide 311 through the bipartisan bill led by State Sen. Cheryl Kagan (D-District 17).
The bill was approved by the Maryland legislature during the General Assembly session in Annapolis that recently concluded.
The legislation aims to lighten the load on “chronically understaffed and overworked” 911 centers, according to Kagan, who represents Gaithersburg and Rockville. That way, they can have more time to answer emergencies instead of non-emergency matters.
311 is for non-emergency government information and service requests, like questions about trash and recycling, maintenance requests, and also takes certain complaints.
Some counties, like Montgomery County, already have their own 311 customer service center. The statewide service will supplement, not replace, where 311 exists now. Montgomery County also has a 311 online chatbot “Monty 2.0,” powered by ChatGPT AI.
According to the bill’s fiscal and policy note, the statewide system will cost at least $1 million annually starting in fiscal year 2027 for staffing and establishing the 311 program.
It will be 24/7 and interoperable with the 911 system, the suicide and crisis 988 hotline, and the 211 system.
