As hype intensifies, cities put AI to the test
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A recent gathering of local officials shed some light on how cities are using artificial intelligence today and how they plan to use it.
One of the best things about new technologies is imagining all the ways they can be applied to our daily lives. That’s been especially true of artificial intelligence.
Technologists, business leaders, academics and politicians have all talked about the myriad ways AI could be deployed, from addressing bigger picture issues such as preventing cyberattacks, detecting public health threats and identifying potential offenders to the more day-to-day applications like tracking fare evasion, assisting teachers in the classroom and helping small businesses navigate city codes, permitting processes and other regulations.
In many cases, state and local leaders are already putting some of these ideas to the test. During a panel discussion at last week’s Smart City Expo USA conference in New York City, speakers discussed the potential uses their cities have already identified and are piloting.
San Jose, California, Chief Innovation Officer Stephen Caines, for instance, said his city currently uses the technology to translate notes from public meetings and web pages. Through cameras attached to its fleet vehicles, San Jose is using AI to identify issues in the roads like potholes or obstacles, and it is seeing if it can prioritize buses at traffic signals in a bid to get them more quickly through red lights.
In Little Rock, Arkansas, Mayor Frank Scott Jr. said his city also has used AI to transcribe its public meetings into several languages, something he called a “big hit” among residents. More ambitiously, Scott said AI could assist the city’s recovery from last year’s tornadoes by helping with resource distribution and communication. That “cuts down a year's process of recovery and rebuilding to six months,” Scott said.
It’s early days, however. Little Rock has an AI action plan that will allow city leaders to “step our toes into this process.” And community engagement has been key, he said, to explain to residents the benefits of the technology and alleviate fears around it.
New Orleans CIO Kimberly LaGrue spoke about artificial intelligence acting as a “force multiplier” in the city’s data analytics. New Orleans embraced using data as it rebuilt from Hurricane Katrina, and again when the police department entered a consent decree from the U.S. Department of Justice over civil rights violations and other misconduct. The technology could help the city put all the data it has collected to work, said LaGrue.
New York has looked to set itself apart with its Empire AI Consortium, a $400 million investment to launch an AI computing center upstate, with seven founding institutions that are a mix of universities and research groups.
The partnership, which was announced in January, has already set off a “flurry of activity,” according to Julie Samuels, CEO of Tech:NYC, a nonprofit that represents the city’s technology industry. Initially, colleges and universities scrambled to be in the consortium.
“In my wildest dreams, I’d never imagined that these schools, these humongous institutions would get together this quickly and offer $20 million of their own money for it to be implemented,” Samuels said, adding that the schools are “dying” to take advantage of AI computing power.
But while it may be exciting for government leaders to look to an AI-driven future, those on the panel acknowledged the risks and concerns of AI. Familiar questions around bias, misinformation, cybersecurity and data privacy remain.
Like many other states, New York is considering a comprehensive privacy law in the absence of national action. Until then, New York City Chief Privacy Officer Michael Fitzpatrick said leaders must have a “transparent dialogue on what we’re doing and why” with any data they collect, especially if it is used to train AI.
Panelists also urged caution and a pragmatic approach.
“AI is not the focus,” said Albert Pulido, New York’s deputy secretary for finance and technology. “Maybe it can get us there, but we want to focus on making things better for residents of our state.”
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