This is a guest post by Samson Adeniyi, data scientist at the Children\u2019s Hospital of Philadelphia.<\/p>\n
Artificial intelligence is arriving fast in public life, and cities like Philadelphia are at a crossroads: Deploy these tools to automate the status quo or to reimagine how the government listens, responds and serves.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When done well, AI can make services more accessible, consistent and responsive. When done poorly, it widens the gaps and obscures accountability. The challenge isn\u2019t just technical \u2014 it\u2019s civic. Now is the time to face it.<\/p>\n
The goal isn\u2019t to replace staff; it\u2019s to give them more time to focus on work that demands human judgment.<\/p>\n
A new wave of AI technologies is ready to assist with municipal work. Philadelphia already uses AI on a limited basis. For example, to help triage requests through its 311 system, where machine learning tools assist in routing issues to the right departments, according to Melissa Scott, the city\u2019s Chief Information Officer in the Office of Innovation and Technology.<\/p>\n
Expanding these tools could improve efficiency across departments. For instance, chatbots can answer residents\u2019 routine questions on city websites or helplines, giving staff more bandwidth for complex needs. New York City\u2019s MyCity Chatbot<\/a> demonstrates this well by drawing on data from various agencies to deliver quick, accurate information.\u00a0<\/p>\n Similarly, summarization tools like Hamlet<\/a> in Saratoga Springs help officials and residents stay informed by transforming long council meetings and planning documents into accessible highlights. And Maryland\u2019s<\/a> state government offers a promising model for workflow assistance: through a new partnership with Anthropic, the state is integrating AI tools that can streamline internal tasks, like checking form completeness or routing memos more efficiently.\u00a0<\/p>\n The goal isn\u2019t to replace staff; it\u2019s to give them more time to focus on work that demands human judgment.<\/p>\n Used responsibly, AI can make government not just faster but better. It can help public servants focus more on people than on paperwork. And it can make city services more transparent and accessible to everyone.\u00a0<\/p>\n But that kind of progress takes intention. If Philadelphia leads with fairness, openness and community involvement, it won\u2019t just be a smart city; it\u2019ll be a city that people trust and feel proud to call home.<\/p>\n A balancing act: innovation and responsible use<\/p>\n Just across the river, New Jersey offers a helpful example of humans and technology working together in the quest for the government to be faster and easier to navigate.<\/p>\n Its Office of Innovation developed the \u201cPermit Drafter,\u201d<\/a> an AI-assisted tool that helps staff create detailed permit guidance for small businesses. Before this system, drafting a permit guide took about eight hours of research and writing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Now, thanks to the assistance of the Permit Drafter, staff save roughly three and a half hours per guide. A strategist assembles the permit information, the AI writes a first draft, and then a human editor reviews and completes it. They even use a checklist to audit every draft for clarity and accuracy before publishing.\u00a0<\/p>\n While New Jersey demonstrates how AI can improve speed and clarity, Pennsylvania has focused on laying the ethical groundwork.<\/p>\n