Local governments are using AI more and more. But are they doing it wisely?
AI systems can already monitor traffic lights, scan for potholes and answer residents’ questions – the hard part is making sure people can trust them.
Across the globe, local governments are increasingly adopting artificial intelligence (AI) to improve efficiency, public services and infrastructure management. This proliferation of AI systems in neighbourhoods is changing the way governments interact with citizens and manage resources. While AI offers several benefits, such as improved customer service, streamlined operations, and better environmental management, its implementation raises concerns over its responsible use and transparency.
This is especially crucial given the growing budget pressure, ageing infrastructure, and workforce constraints faced by local governments. A new report examines how AI is reshaping local governments and proposes six priorities for responsible AI adoption. These priorities include clear accountability, organisational capability, data and technical safeguards, transparency and human review, community participation, and workforce preparation.
Successful examples of AI implementation include the City of Amarillo's virtual assistant handling resident enquiries in the United States, Helsingborg City's waste-collection vehicles equipped with AI image recognition in Sweden, and Brimbank City Council's computer vision system for identifying damaged roadside assets in Australia.
Building public trust is crucial for the successful adoption of AI in local government. This can be achieved by making AI systems more visible, accessible, and useful in citizens' interactions with local authorities, as well as by ensuring transparency, human oversight, ongoing evaluation and meaningful community engagement.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
