San José Announces Graduation of AI Upskilling Program Cohort and Plans Expansion to Over 1,000 Employees
Program has saved over 10,000 staff hours and is projected to save $50,000 in consulting costs, boosting efficiency across city departments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2025
Media Contact:
Tasha Dean, Chief Communications Officer, Office of Mayor Matt Mahan
SAN JOSÉ, CA - The City of San José today announced the graduation of a new cohort from its AI Upskilling Program – and unveiled plans to expand the training to over 1,000 employees, or roughly 15% of the city workforce, in 2026. This 10-week course is aimed at helping city employees use artificial intelligence (AI) responsibly and effectively to improve public service delivery and makes San José one of the first major cities to roll out AI training at this scale.
Launched in September 2024 in partnership with San José State University, the program’s first two pilot cohorts have already saved 10,000–20,000 staff hours across city departments, with some areas achieving productivity gains of up to 20%. The city estimates there has been $50,000 in savings by avoiding consulting costs for AI development and maintenance.
“It just makes sense for the Capital of Silicon Valley to improve quality of life for our residents by embracing innovation," said San José Mayor Matt Mahan. “Through our AI Upskilling Program we’re empowering our workforce with real-world AI skills that drive efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the delivery of public services. We’re incredibly proud of this cohort and excited to see how they – and those who follow – use these new tools to better serve our community.”
“The AI Upskilling Program reflects our commitment to serving San José residents with a skilled, adaptable, and forward-thinking workforce,” said City Manager Jennifer Maguire. “By investing in City staff and giving them the tools to use AI responsibly, we are strengthening public service, improving efficiency, and preparing our teams to meet the changing needs of our community.”
AI Upskilling Program Success Stories
The AI Upskilling Program sets a new standard for AI adoption in the public sector, improving operations, saving time, and reducing costs. From securing major grants to streamlining city services, graduates of the program are already delivering tangible results.
One standout success comes from a graduate at the Department of Transportation, Andrea Arjona, who used a custom AI assistant to secure a $12 million federal Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Grant, to install 14 fast chargers and 109 Level 2 chargers at 12 city-owned locations. When the grant was suspended in early 2025 due to changes in federal funding, Andrea leveraged her new tools and skills to quickly pivot, securing a $2.5 million grant from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for 60 new EV chargers across six community centers and libraries in underserved neighborhoods.
“The AI Upskilling Program wasn’t just about learning new tools—it changed how I approach my work and helped me work more efficiently,” said Andrea Arjona, Climate Smart and E-Mobility Program Lead at the Department of Transportation. “I was able to complete routine tasks faster, which gave me more time to think through complex problems and focus on work that has a real impact on the communities we serve.
Another success story comes from Stephen Liang, an Analyst at the city’s Information Technology department, who created a custom AI assistant to analyze and categorize unstructured text in the “Other Issues” section of 311 service reports. This tool automatically identifies recurring themes, such as “Junk Removal” and “Water Issues,” saving over 500 staff hours annually by streamlining the process of categorizing and addressing resident concerns.
The city’s Climate Advisory Commission team also achieved success with the AI Upskilling Program, creating an AI tool that automates the creation of meeting minutes and clarifies meeting questions. By saving over 350 staff hours annually, it has significantly boosted productivity in administrative tasks, allowing teams to focus on more impactful work.
More About the City’s Upskilling Program
The San José Upskilling Program features two tracks: AI Upskilling and Data Upskilling. The AI Upskilling Track, which is primarily geared toward office workers and administrative staff, focuses on customized training for specific departmental projects and has resulted in a 10 to 20 percent efficiency gain and over an hour saved per day – compared to 14 minutes per day for untrained staff.
The Data Upskilling Track is designed for more experienced data analysts and provides training in tools like Power BI, Tableau, SQL, Python, and GIS. Participants have saved over 200 staff hours and helped nine departments handle inquiries more efficiently, while saving $50,000 by reducing consulting costs and over 100 hours annually in internal data collaboration.
San José aims to expand the program across 15 departments by the end of 2025, using a train-the-trainer model to reach over 1,000 staff in 2026.
These achievements would not have been possible without the strong leadership and vision of the city’s Chief Information Officer/Director of Information Technology Khaled Tawfik and his team, who championed the development and implementation of the AI Upskilling Program. Their commitment to innovation and continuous improvement has helped empower staff across departments to harness the power of AI to better serve the local community.
About the City of San José
With nearly one million residents, San José is the largest city in the Bay Area and one of the nation's most diverse and creative. San José’s transformation into a global innovation center in the heart of Silicon Valley has resulted in the world's greatest concentration of technology talent and development.