TOKU - Treasury of Knowledge for Users

AI and LHS Chatbot Development

The meeting covered several community initiatives and projects, including Wei Din's work with various town committees and her involvement in community activities in Lexington. The discussion focused heavily on AI applications, particularly the development and implementation of chatbots for town budgets, monument maintenance, and educational purposes, with Professor Liang and others exploring the potential and limitations of AI tools in serving the community. The group also addressed concerns about AI usage in education and society, discussing topics like AI literacy, responsible AI use, and the importance of human oversight in AI applications. Next steps Speaker 7 (LCC-237): change the camera and get feedback Wei Din: contact Jerry's team during winter break to schedule technical discussion about chatbot implementation details Wei Din: reach out to Olga to participate in 2026 AI ethics community event Wei Din: ask National Science Foundation program director about supplemental funding for AI literacy training in schools Wei Din: collaborate with Lexington High School teachers on AI literacy training Wei Din: meet with Dr. Hackett and school committee to propose AI workshop for professional development days Peter: put chatbot URL on organization website Peter: coordinate with Wei Din to schedule student presentation at future meeting Planning committee: hold planning meeting in two weeks Bob Primack: present on Wi-Fi 6, 7, 8, etc. at next week's meeting Wei Din's team: hold progress report meeting at 6:30 PM today about Historical Society animations Summary First-Generation Immigrant Community Leadership Wei Din shared her journey as a first-generation immigrant in the United States, highlighting her experiences in different cities and her involvement in various community activities in Lexington. She discussed her work with the PTA, the creation of a database for donation tracking during the pandemic, and the development of a website for the Town Celebrations Committee's Smiles and Miles project. Wei Din also mentioned her role as a board member for the Community Endowment of Lexington and her efforts to analyze data to identify nonprofits in need of support during the pandemic. AI Tools for Community Engagement The meeting discussed the development and implementation of a chatbot and AI tools to enhance community engagement with town budgets and monument maintenance. Professor Liang, a computer science professor and Executive Director of the Applied AI Institute, shared how they used ChatGPT to analyze budget documents and generate descriptions for monument databases, though a CEL funding proposal was declined due to trust concerns. The discussion emphasized the importance of AI's role in serving the broader community, with Professor Liang expressing a desire to make AI accessible to all residents rather than just computer science experts. Student-Developed School Building Chatbot The discussion focused on a community chatbot project developed by high school students to provide reliable information about the new high school building project. The chatbot, which launched after beta testing with 3,000 queries, uses trusted sources including the school building committee and town data, while being careful not to present itself as an authoritative source of information. The project was funded personally by the developers rather than through community funds, and the team, led by Jerry, has been working on it for several years, creating both the chatbot and a previous app for finding shortest paths to historical sites. AI Roles and Human Oversight The discussion focused on the role and limitations of AI, with Speaker 10 (LCC-237) emphasizing the importance of human oversight and transparency in AI usage. They highlighted the need to verify AI results and be aware of biases, while also discussing how certain tasks, like basic coding and tutoring, could be replaced by AI. Speaker 8 (LCC-237) and others debated whether AI could truly replace human judgment, creativity, and leadership, with some expressing disagreement about AI's capabilities in these areas. The conversation concluded with a mention of the “verifier law” by Jason Wei, which outlines the limitations and capabilities of AI. AI in Education: Challenges and Verification The discussion focused on the role and limitations of AI tools like ChatGPT in educational settings, particularly for the high school building project. Speakers emphasized that while AI can perform well with clear, objective tasks, human verification remains crucial for accuracy and trustworthiness. They highlighted the importance of clear communication with AI tools and the need to verify results, especially when dealing with complex real-world problems. The conversation also touched on the integration of large language models with local data sources and the use of RAG (retrieval augmented generation) to enhance AI's capabilities in generating reliable answers. AI in Education and Society The discussion focused on AI applications and their impact on education and society. The speaker highlighted their students' development of a commercial-level chatbot and emphasized the importance of using AI tools efficiently rather than relying on them passively. They also discussed a recent $3 million HR1 grant project with Mass General Hospital and shared insights on AI's role in various fields like coding, math, games, and fraud detection. The speaker concluded by expressing optimism about AI's potential to enhance human capabilities while acknowledging concerns about job displacement, emphasizing the importance of active learning and human interaction in education. AI Chatbot Transparency Concerns Olga expressed concerns about AI being used as a training tool without public awareness, citing examples like robotaxis in San Francisco. She criticized the chatbot for being addictive and not ready for prime time, highlighting its limitations in accessing and providing accurate information. The group discussed the transparency of the chatbot's data sources, with Speaker 10 (LCC-237) inviting Olga to participate in an upcoming AI ethics event. John noted that the chatbot's effectiveness depends on the quality of the data it is supplied with, while Dave Kahn emphasized the potential of AI as a tool to help students organize their thoughts and research. Lexington Chatbot Development Discussion The group discussed the development of a chatbot to improve access to information on the Town of Lexington's website, addressing its current lack of searchability. They explored the chatbot's potential to handle various data formats, including PDFs and images, and its ability to provide summaries and navigate unstructured data. The importance of AI literacy and responsible AI use in educational settings was highlighted, with suggestions for collaboration with local schools and teachers. Concerns about the environmental impact of chatbot usage and the need for human verification of AI-generated results were also raised. Community Projects and Tech Initiatives The meeting focused on several community projects and initiatives. Olga discussed her work on a chatbot and proposed a workshop for teachers on AI usage in schools, which would be funded by the Natural Science Foundation. Steve presented a projection mapping project on the Ellenstone Building, which will tell the stories of historical figures in Lexington through animations. The team is preparing for an event on January 10th, 2026, where they will showcase their work. The conversation ended with plans for future presentations by students involved in these projects and upcoming sessions on Wi-Fi technology.