New Research: “What Municipalities Really Want” out of AI

A new study by Nicholas Croce and Dr. Saba Siddiki of Syracuse University’s Center for Policy Design and Governance examines how municipal leaders across New York State perceive and use AI. The research surveyed 52 local government officials- representing towns, villages, and cities across 57 counties- to better understand how municipalities are integrating AI and how comfortable leaders are with its use.

Key findings include:

• One-third of respondents reported existing use of AI tools in municipal operations, including chatbots, digital assistants, and workflow automation.
  
  
• Leaders expressed the most comfort with internal applications of AI and using AI to provide information and access to constituents.
  
  
• Rural officials showed greater apprehension toward deploying AI in democratic processes such as deliberation or decision-making, citing the importance of human judgement and interpersonal governance.
  
  
• Common concerns included accuracy, accessibility, and the digital divide, particularly for older or technologically underserved populations.
  
  
• This study calls for continued research and collaboration with smaller and rural jurisdictions to ensure equitable and inclusive AI adoption.