Join host Will Jarvis as he sits down with Cameron, an experienced assessor and member of the Valuebase team, to discuss the launch of the Valuebase CAMA System V5. The conversation covers what makes modern CAMA design different—from intuitive user interfaces inspired by F-35 fighter jet visualization tools, to built-in AI assistants that guide appraisers through workflows in natural language, to seamless GIS and map integration that keeps geographic context front and center. Will and Cameron also explore how the rising cost and rigidity of legacy CAMA systems creates vendor lock-in, the challenge of training a new generation of assessors, and how rapidly evolving software development is shifting the industry toward faster, more personalized service models.

• 00:00 - Introduction and Cameron's background in assessment, from field appraiser to Valuebase
• 02:00 - Common complaints about legacy CAMA systems: poor usability, limited customization, and vendor lock-in
• 03:42 - Designing better interfaces: how the CTO's F-35 fighter jet visualization experience shaped the Valuebase CAMA
• 05:24 - Built-in AI assistant (ValPal): natural language interaction, guided workflows, and human-in-the-loop verification
• 08:12 - Addressing the knowledge gap as experienced assessors retire and newer staff need training support
• 09:30 - GIS and map integration: why seamless geographic visualization matters for daily assessment work
• 11:30 - Attracting top engineering talent and pushing innovation across the CAMA market
• 14:00 - Gamified design, 3D building envelopes, bulk parcel editing, and bringing joy to CAMA workflows
• 15:50 - The shift from traditional software licensing to rapid, service-oriented deployment models
• 18:55 - How to explore the Valuebase CAMA: live demos, easy data import, and where to learn more at valuebase.ai

Join host Will Jarvis for a solo presentation on the rapidly evolving world of large language models and what they mean for property tax assessors. Will covers the connection between AI and property tax through Sam Altman's Moore's Law for Everything thesis, explains how transformer-based models work and why prompting skill matters, walks through practical use cases like drafting correspondence, summarizing appeals, and enriching parcel data, and demos two free ValueBase tools—ValPal and Ratio Pal—that assessors can start using immediately.

• 00:00 - Introduction and background on ValueBase, Sam Altman's investment, and the macro connection between AI and property tax
• 03:00 - The astonishing pace of AI improvement: frontier math breakthroughs and what rapid model advancement means for society
• 06:30 - Why humans still matter: agency, real-world interaction, and the enduring role of knowledge workers alongside AI
• 08:00 - The wolves-to-dogs analogy and the debate over pausing AI development
• 10:00 - Economic context: slowing productivity growth, rising costs of essential goods, and why we need more technological innovation
• 14:30 - How large language models work: the transformer architecture, Attention Is All You Need, and text prediction fundamentals
• 16:30 - The context problem: why LLMs are like the smartest intern who knows nothing about your office
• 18:30 - Practical use cases for assessors: drafting correspondence, summarization, organizing tasks, and data enrichment
• 25:00 - The critical importance of verifying model outputs and avoiding "AI slop grenades"
• 29:00 - Why good grammar, encouragement, and clear prompting lead to better model performance
• 33:30 - Anatomy of a useful prompt: task, context, output format, checks, and asking for clarification
• 37:00 - Demo of Ratio Pal: uploading sales data, running ratio study statistics, and visualizing vertical equity
• 41:00 - Demo of ValPal: assessor-specific LLM with state property tax codes, IAAO standards, and code execution
• 44:00 - Q&A on learning to use AI tools, recommended resources like Andrej Karpathy's guides, and closing remarks

Join host Will Jarvis as he sits down with Ellen Brideau, a veteran Massachusetts assessor with 20 years in the field and roots in assessment going back to the early 1980s. Ellen shares her perspective on why annual reassessments lead to fairer outcomes, makes a case for broadening the tax base by reconsidering exemptions for nonprofits and institutions, and discusses the importance of good property data and letting assessors inside homes. She also touches on career advice for new professionals entering the field and previews her upcoming conference presentation on identifying and defending against AI-generated property tax appeals.

• 00:00 - Introduction and Ellen Brideau's background in Massachusetts assessing
• 01:48 - What the public most misunderstands about property taxes
• 03:30 - How Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Hampshire differ on reassessment cycles
• 05:55 - Policy ideas: broadening the tax base and reconsidering exemptions for nonprofits and institutions
• 07:48 - Assessment caps, deed-restricted affordable housing, and full market value in Massachusetts
• 09:22 - Personal lessons from a career in assessment and advice for new professionals
• 12:00 - AI-generated appeals: how Ellen was caught off guard and what she's learning