Nine of the state’s 102 counties reported no COVID-19 infections as of Saturday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. That does not mean the rural communities have been spared the pain. Hospital workers’ hours have been reduced, small businesses have closed and farmers are taking losses on their crops and livestock. And in small towns, that has big consequences.
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.