The business world has been rapidly adopting generative AI to capitalize on a range of benefits — greater productivity, reduced human error and improved decision-making. Gen AI can increase operational efficiency by automating routine tasks and enable more personalized interactions with customers. By analyzing vast amounts of data in real time, gen AI can provide business leaders with new insights into opportunities and risks.
But what about the public sector? Do state and local governments have anything to gain from gen AI?
Turns out, gen AI offers the same benefits to the public sector as it does to businesses. Let’s look at some of the leading use cases for gen AI in government and some of the challenges government agencies face with gen AI adoption.
Gen AI Use Cases in State and Local Government
Automation
Faced with staffing shortages, state and local governments are using gen AI to increase productivity and free employees from manual work. For example, gen AI can analyze video to assist with everything from law enforcement to traffic management to sewer inspection. Automation can slash the amount of time required for routine tasks.
Data Analysis
Gen AI’s ability to rapidly analyze data facilitates environmental monitoring, urban planning and more. Real-time predictive analysis can alert workers when equipment needs routine maintenance and schedule road work to minimize disruption. As climate change worsens, local governments can also use AI to predict severe weather events and speed response when disasters occur.
Financial Management
Tight budgets have long been a challenge for state and local governments. Some gen AI tools, such as Microsoft Copilot, can integrate with financial systems to identify trends and generate informative charts and spreadsheets. Copilot can also help reduce procurement cycle time by streamlining review processes.
Citizen Services
Tools such as AI chatbots can provide citizens with faster, more accurate information and improve access to services. Gen AI can also translate messages into a wide range of languages to assist non-English-speaking residents. AI tools can analyze voice communications, feedback and social media to gauge public sentiment and better prioritize programs and development projects.
Healthcare and Social Services
AI can help local governments analyze demand and better allocate resources for healthcare and social service delivery. AI chatbots can guide clients through the process of applying for benefits, setting up payment plans and more. Behind the scenes, gen AI can streamline documentation and analyze client needs and outcomes.
Gen AI Challenges in State and Local Government
In a recent study by the Public Policy Institute, just 9 percent of government IT leaders said their organizations were fully prepared to make safe and productive use of AI technologies. State and local governments face many of the same barriers to AI adoption as businesses, along with some unique challenges.
Government agencies hold vast amounts of data on citizens, which has long made them attractive targets of cyber criminals. If it’s not implemented and managed effectively, gen AI can expose sensitive data and increase the risk of cyber threats. Gen AI can also introduce bias into decision-making processes, causing agencies to run afoul of legal and regulatory requirements.
From a technology perspective, many government agencies are struggling with technical debt that limits their ability to implement gen AI tools. They also lack the skill sets needed to successfully adopt and manage AI.
How Cerium Can Help
Cerium’s dedicated AI team is here to help state and local governments take full advantage of the benefits of gen AI. Our experts can help agencies identify use cases and prioritize projects that will deliver the fastest time to value. We can also help agencies ensure that they have the right technical foundation to support gen AI and conduct knowledge transfers to prepare in-house IT staff to manage AI systems.
Let Cerium help your agency put gen AI to work to increase efficiency and better serve citizens.
