Orange County's Multilingual AI Chatbot
Linda Brown
Only after the last tree has been cut down, only after the last river has been poisoned, only after the last fish has been caught - only then will you find that money cannot be eaten. - Cree Indian proverb
Jean Hamilton
Sent: Thursday, August 6, 2026 1:06 PM
To: ALL_BOCC_MANAGER_CLERK <OCB...@orangecountync.gov>
Subject: Orange County's Multilingual AI Chatbot
CAUTION: External email. Do not click links or open attachments unless verified. Report suspicious emails with the Phish Alert Button located on your Outlook menu bar on the Home tab.
Wil Glenn
Hi Ms. Brown. Thank you for your email.
AI tools do require electricity and computing resources, and it's reasonable to consider their environmental impacts as part of a broader conversation about technology and energy use.
However, providing an AI chatbot to help end users search for information and to improve communication is quite different from approving the construction of a large-scale data center. The AI chatbot helps lower barriers and supports essential
communication and information sharing with community members who have limited English proficiency.
The environmental footprint of using an AI tool for these purposes is very small compared with the ongoing energy, water, land use, and infrastructure demands of a large data center.
That said, I agree that any technology solution should involve weighing its overall costs, benefits, and local impacts. We should also continue encouraging greater energy efficiency and the use of cleaner energy sources wherever possible.
Sincerely,
Wil Glenn
Community Relations Director
Orange County Government
Office Phone: 919.245.2302
Mobile Phone: 919.430.4900
Email: wgl...@orangecountync.gov
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From: Jean Hamilton <jham...@orangecountync.gov>
Sent: Friday, August 7, 2026 2:58 PM
To: Linda Brown <lkbrown...@gmail.com>; ALL_BOCC_MANAGER_CLERK <OCB...@orangecountync.gov>
Cc: Wil Glenn <wgl...@orangecountync.gov>
Subject: Re: Orange County's Multilingual AI Chatbot
Hi Linda,
On behalf of the Orange County Board of Commissioners, thank you for sharing your perspective on data centers and AI chatbots. I am copying our Community Relations Director Wil Glenn so he can explain the rationale behind the use of an AI chatbot.
Sincerely,
Jean
Jean Hamilton, Chair
Orange County Board of Commissioners
From: Linda Brown <lkbrown...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, August 6, 2026 1:06 PM
To: ALL_BOCC_MANAGER_CLERK <OCB...@orangecountync.gov>
Subject: Orange County's Multilingual AI Chatbot
CAUTION: External email. Do not click links or open attachments unless verified. Report suspicious emails with the Phish Alert Button located on your Outlook menu bar on the Home tab.
Commissioners,
It is somewhat hypocritical to ban data centers and use an AI chatbot that increases energy use and causes multiple environmental problems.
We must do better.
