WILL AI USE BY THE CITY OF SHREVEPORT BE A GOOD OR BAD THING

In this monthly session on the Mike and McCarty KEEL radio show Shreveport Mayor Tom Arceneaux discussed the uses of AI in local governments.

He had attended a Denver seminar and was impressed by two systems. One was for permitting and the other was for law enforcement. He said his Administration would examine both of these AI programs to determine the feasibility for implementation in Shreveport.

Mayor Tom advised over 60 cities in the U.S. were using the AI permitting program. Essentially this program would take a permit application and determine its compliance with building and zoning codes and the like. He said this process was fast and inexpensive ($50) for the applicant choosing this process.

To those who have been living under a rock, AI does not mean "Ask Idiot" or "Apple Insect." For purposes of this article AI is defined as artificial intelligence that can provide governments with the capabilities to enhance government operations across various domains. Here are three primary advantages of using AI in government:

1. Achieve savings due to operational efficiency by optimizing workflows, manage service delivery and reduce administrative burdens;

2. Enhance customer experience and use natural language processing to enable better citizen engagement;

3. Provide enhanced data-driven decisions analyzing data, predicting outcomes, and identifying patterns more effectively.

Like with any new programs and processes, there are challenges with the use of AI in the public sector.

Here are examples:

a. Unemployment of personnel who routinely process services that can be delivered by AI;

b. Bias due to prejudices of the algorithm development team or misleading data;

c. Difficulty in explaining the rationale for AI decisions/predictions;

d. Accountability and the ethics of AI data and the public release of information.

Like with any computer driven program, the effectiveness and correctness of information generated by AI is as good as the data inputted and people are the ones who create data. The old axiom of "garbage in results in garbage out" is certainly applicable to AI programs and the AI information produced.

A local computer expert provided his own concerns and observations on AI:

i. People get lazy in relying on AI information;

ii. People accept bad answers as accurate that are actually wrong;

iii. People ask the wrong question to AI and get off subject answers that they accept;

iv. People can't interpret the levels of AI answers that they receive;

v. People often simplify complicated AI information because they can't properly digest sophisticated answers.

Have no fear, or maybe fear, because AI has been here for a few years and more, as in much more,  is on the way. The massive investment by national companies into what is now called the "AI race" is reflective of a modern day gold rush. And the construction boom for data centers is a testament to how big the AI world is now and will be in future years.

The question is NOT whether Shreveport will adopt AI programs but only which ones and when. The experience record of AI utilization in other municipalities will be very helpful for analysis of programs that Shreveport may utilize. This information and the fact that Mayor Tom has put his toe into the AI waters provides a good background for his administration's AI utilization.

No doubt some form of AI will be utilized in next year's mayoral election and one can expect Mayor Tom will be the first in line. And for those concerned, this column was NOT produced by an AI program.