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College Park could soon become the first city in metro Atlanta to hire non-human help.
On Monday the city council discussed using artificial intelligence to assist residents with everyday questions, from parking tickets to trash pickup.
City council members are weighing a roughly $54,000-a-year proposal from the company Carahsoft Polimorphic to add AI technology across nearly every department, from santitation to recreation.
Representatives from the company told council Monday that the system would include both a chatbot and a voice-based AI agent designed to handle basic inquiries.
“It’s an option for residents to self-service some of their inquiries while taking some of the load off frontline staff,” the Carahsoft staff member said.
City officials think the technology would make city services more efficient by helping direct calls and messages to the right departments faster.
“When we start to implement using your guidance and input, what we’ll do is we’ll set up transfer logic and rules,” the Carahsoft staffer said. “So when someone calls about a certain subject, they get directed to the right place the first time around.”
Councilmember Joe Carn said the new system would only supplement staff, not replace them.
“A Chatbot may not be able to answer [a resident’s] concern,” Carn said.
The company rep responded that the tool is not meant to replace human beings.
“It’s merely to add a new option for folks that might have a question,” the staffer said.
Councilmember Tracie Arnold echoed that sentiment.
“I am excited that we are looking at some assistive technology to support the staff, definitely not to replace the staff,” Arnold said.
AI is already finding its way into other city governments across the country.
El Paso, Texas, recently launched an AI-powered app, while Palm Beach, Florida, approved plans to adopt similar technology on its website.
“This is the beginning of our presence here in Georgia, in Tennessee. We’re working with a ton of folks in Florida, North Carolina,” a company representative said.
Carahsoft Polimorphic says the system could be rolled out in College Park within a matter of days or weeks if approved. The city council plans to vote on the yearly contract at its next meeting.
