Are local governments prepared for AI? 38% of IT leaders say not at all

A recent survey of local government IT executives found that 53% are gearing up for artificial intelligence (AI)—developing governance policies and frameworks for the new technology. 

That same survey, conducted by the Public Technology Institute (PTI), also found that 38% of IT leaders felt their local government was “not prepared at all” to safely use AI technology. The main concerns cited by those surveyed included security, privacy issues and a lack of necessary skills.

At the same time, 46% of respondents said their organization was “somewhat prepared” for using AI, and 9% said they were “fully prepared.” Another 7% responded that they did not plan on using AI tools.

The study was conducted between July and August 2024 and surveyed more than 200 local government IT executives.

Steps being taken

In terms of what steps local government IT executives were taking to address the emerging technology, 53% said they were developing AI policies and frameworks; 29% said they were collaborating with AI industry experts; 27% said they were investing in AI training and education programs; and 7% were assessing potential job displacement and recruiting strategies. 

A total of 40% of respondents said they had not taken any steps to address the impact of GenAI on their local government’s workforce.

Several major cities, including New York and Boston, have announced AI frameworks in the past few years. The Biden Administration announced plans to begin working on AI safety, security and transparency policies in 2023, and issued guidelines for using AI to administer public benefits programs this past spring.

AI’s expected impact 

The perception of the impact AI will have on local government operations has shifted since 2023. In 2023, 58% of IT professionals expected AI to introduce a “dramatic change” over the next three years. This year, that number fell to 53%. Likewise, the perception that AI tools will have “little change” over the next three years increased from 42% to 47%.

Plans for how AI will be used

The PTI survey also asked IT leaders how they plan to use AI in local government operations. Plans to use AI as a virtual customer service co-pilot/chatbot was cited by 70% of respondents, followed by automation of document generation (48%) and automated or enhanced data management (48%). Earlier this year, Nevada announced plans to begin using AI to analyze a backlog of transcripts from unemployment appeals hearings and generate recommendations. 

Another 42% of IT executives cited plans to use AI as a query assistant and 42% also planned to incorporate the technology into workforce training and learning. 

On Nov. 13, the National League of Cities released a report in partnership with Google detailing the opportunities AI technology presented local governments. The report breaks down types of AI that are particularly relevant to local government, including predictive AI that can anticipate traffic patterns and maintenance requirements; generative AI that can translate public meetings, operate chatbot assistants or create visualizations for urban planning projects; and perceptive AI that’s designed for traffic monitoring management, public safety and surveillance systems and more. 

“Technology has always been an essential tool to help local governments respond to the changing needs of their residents,” NLC CEO Clarence E. Anthony said in a statement. “Our AI report is a collection of both the potential pitfalls and the overwhelming opportunities that exist for our local communities with AI.”

PTI also asked IT executives in its survey whether a single individual had been assigned responsibility for coordinating AI development. Eleven percent answered “Yes,” while 63% said, “No,” with 26% indicating that the responsibility fell on more than one individual.

Cybersecurity concerns

While security was a top issue of concern for IT leaders for incorporating AI, a separate survey conducted by PTI showed a leveling of cybersecurity concerns among IT executives compared with 2023.

The number of IT executives who described elected officials as “very engaged” regarding cybersecurity efforts grew from 23% to 30% in 2024. When it came to budgeting, 72% of IT leaders said cybersecurity budgets were adequate, compared with 64% last year.

Regarding confidence in cloud services utilized by local governments and the security measures of those services or providers, 17% of IT leaders said they were “very confident,” 67% said they were “somewhat confident” and 13% said they were “not so confident.”