This text is part of the special section Municipalities
As the challenges of the municipal environment become more complex, the possibilities offered by artificial intelligence (AI) could improve the services provided to the population. This is also the theme of one of the discussion panels which will be held on May 24 during the 2024 Conference of the Union of Municipalities of Quebec (UMQ).
“Are there any activities planned for the national holiday? » This is the question we wrote in the chat box of the little robot called AMI (intelligent municipal assistant) at the bottom of the screen to the right of the City of Saint-Lin–Laurentides website. The answer came within seconds. In summary, the chatbot advised checking the events calendar (giving the link), recommending to “check regularly, as activity details may be updated closer to the party.” »
What is behind this robot? “It’s ChatGPT,” says Mathieu Maisonneuve, mayor of Saint-Lin–Laurentides.
Improve services to citizens
AMI is working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to help people quickly find the information they want on the City’s website.
“We wanted to improve the quality of services offered to citizens,” said the mayor. When I arrived on the job, I wanted them to speak to a human when contacting the City, but I realized that several calls were being made outside of business hours. The robot gives citizens another way to interact with the City. »
He also made this choice because it is a “pleasant” solution. “The platform allows you to have a conversation by asking a question directly,” explains Mathieu Maisonneuve. It’s very intuitive. »
Satisfied with the results, the mayor of the city of more than 25,000 inhabitants (according to AMI) specifies that, from 1er January to March 31, the tool received more than 4,800 requests.
Isn’t he afraid that the robot will wander sometimes? “No, because it was set up to help people with municipal services, it cannot really deviate from the subject,” says Mathieu Maisonneuve. This is important, because this tool represents the municipal institution. You have to have credibility. »
If this innovation was made possible in Saint-Lin–Laurentides, it is thanks to IVÉO, which supports small and medium-sized towns in making the smart and sustainable shift.
“IVÉO put us in contact with the firm that develops this type of product and installing the robot cost us around $7,000,” calculates the mayor. We also have an annual fee of just under $10,000 for the ChatGPT license. I think the quality/price ratio is excellent. »
Mathieu Maisonneuve also realized that the tool helped employees, especially new ones, find the information they were looking for on the website more quickly. “Even I use the robot often and I love it! »
Following this conclusive experience, he believes that AI can help municipalities in several respects. “Not to replace employees, but to enable them to offer better services to citizens in the City’s daily activities,” he specifies.
Well-known benefits and risks
At the Quebec Innovation Council, Anne Nguyen, director and head of AI who will also participate in the UMQ panel, is delighted to see that Quebec municipalities are interested in AI and are starting to integrate it in their solutions.
“Whether we think about the rapid completion of repetitive or dangerous tasks, or the analysis of a large quantity of data, it is obvious that there are several advantages to using AI,” says she said. I’m not worried about the risks because we know them well. Our AI Ready report [publié en février] also includes a series of recommendations to properly regulate its use. »
For example, there is talk of training municipal and provincial employees to enable them to make the best decisions regarding AI.
“Employees must be able to explain how an algorithm arrived at a result so that they remain engaged and accountable,” recalls Anne Nguyen. We want to prevent them from doing something because the machine tells them to do it. We want humans to use their judgment and critical thinking to choose whether or not they will apply the results generated by the AI. »
She believes that the best adoption strategy is to take small steps. “By starting by setting up small projects with AI that give good results and making them shine, people will have more and more confidence. »
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.