Research Mapped Out What Needs Drive the Adoption of AI in Municipalities

In American municipalities, AI is being adopted in electronic services for various reasons, but the focus of a new study is exceptionally practical: what do 'needs' mean in the context of AI adoption.

In an article published in the journal AI & SOCIETY, Stephen Kwamena Aikins and Tamara Dimitrijevska-Markoski examine the use of AI in local government within so-called electronic governance, i.e., public digital services. Previous research has already addressed the adoption of AI in governance, but according to the authors, the needs of user organizations have been explored to a limited extent so far.

The data was collected through a survey sent to a thousand information and communication technology professionals in the municipal sector across the United States. A total of 141 responses were received. The survey inquired whether AI had been adopted, what types of AI technologies are utilized in municipalities' digital services, and how important respondents consider various factors in adoption.

The framework for the examination is the technology–organization–environment model, which explains adoption from three perspectives: what opportunities and features the technology offers, what capabilities and practices the organization has, and what external conditions—such as the operating environment—affect decisions. Special attention is directed towards need-based factors, such as service accessibility and citizen participation, as well as the use of predictive analytics.

Source: Determinants of government AI adoption for e-government, AI & SOCIETY.