One-day multistakeholder workshop on AI and local government

We welcome public authorities, civil society, and academia to build shared expertise on the role of local government in artificial intelligence both as a technology and a new set of rules. Globally, we see a rapid rise in local governments deploying automated systems and machine learning to perform public services, with implications for their capacity and jurisdiction to govern. Chatbots, for example, help citizens report their needs and access information, but shift that process from the local town hall to external data centres situated within the global political economy. New legislation at the national and EU levels intended to regulate AI has impacts on how local government functions.

AILG concerns how both AI and new AI-focused rules affect the delivery of local government services but also what role local government plays in shaping these developments. A key question relevant to multiple stakeholders is: How can local governments maintain their societal role in an era where it is often claimed that autonomous systems and machine learning will (or must) take over key areas of public service delivery, while ensuring these technologies are legitimate, ethical, and trustworthy? How can local government play an active role in connecting multiple local stakeholders in ways that create win-wins in the roll-out of AI? And, how can local government ensure that AI decisions remain human-centric?

Implementation requires networking

Whilst most discussions on AI regulation tend to focus on the national or transnational level, the significance of local government in implementation requires networking between public authorities, business, civil society, and academia.

The workshop includes a series of expert presentations and participatory dialogues. Attendance is free and includes coffee and lunch, but we have limited spaces and so please register promptly here. 

Workshop on AI and local government (AILG)

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