A lot of us have been playing around with AI lately, either for fun or just to see what it can do. We don’t use any open-sourced AI like ChatGPT at the municipality or in this magazine, although we do let some software do things like generate suggested alternative text for photos in our social media, for example. Like many of you, I played around with making myself a Mattel doll (that meme got old fast) and I also requested images of my dogs turned into people.

I wondered how ChatGPT would describe Mt. Lebanon, so I asked it. The resulting seven paragraphs are mostly correct. Among the errors: We have more than 4,400 properties in our National Historic District, not 3,300, and it incorrectly refers to us as a township. It includes several sections: an introduction, Community and Governance, Neighborhoods and Character, Education and Schools, Parks and Recreation, Historical Significance and Cultural and Civic Life. While all that is lovely, it has some glaring holes.

Nowhere does it say anything about the people who live here. We are proud of all of the services we offer, a world-class Main Street, killer recreation facilities and an amazing school district.

But zoom in. AI doesn’t mention the March pancake breakfast and Meal Trains that volunteers organized for a Mt. Lebanon family with a child who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor. It doesn’t mention the thousands of volunteer hours our residents put in to help the PTA, the Historical Society of Mount Lebanon and the Friends of the Mt. Lebanon Public Library.

And it doesn’t mention the welcome that real estate agent Vera Purcell organized for a gay couple hoping to move their family here. When the family arrived for a house tour, they were greeted by many neighbors who instantly made them feel wanted here. Read about that family and other Mt. Lebanon residents from the LGBTQ+ community and learn about their lived experience here, in Rachel Windsor’s story.

The other thing ChatGPT doesn’t mention is Mt. Lebanon’s excellent public safety. Although no place is immune from crime, Mt. Lebanon is the kind of town where parents feel comfortable letting their kids walk to get ice cream, where runners can safely hit the sidewalks and where neighbors look out for one another. The cutting-edge training of our public servants is just one aspect of that safety. Read about Mt. Lebanon’s latest training facility, the police firing range, in Merle Jantz’s story.

Thank you for all you do to make Mt. Lebanon warm, safe and fun.