How cities are using AI to tackle their most pressing problems
AI offers huge potential for cities to improve services for residents and make operations more efficient. Local governments also often have the agility to move faster than their national counterparts, offering early indicators of success and challenges.
This webinar looked at examples of how cities and local authorities are using AI, including lessons learned from pilots and live programmes, and examples of policies that create guardrails and building blocks for safe experimentation.
This session outlined:
- How cities are approaching AI policy to enable safe experimentation and innovation.
- How cities are deploying AI to tackle issues from driving productivity and streamlining citizen services to reducing traffic congestion and boosting climate resilience.
- Key successes and lessons learned so far.
- Choosing the right use cases and building the business case for AI innovation.
Panel
Marie Hvid Damborg, Head of Digitalisation, Technical and Environmental Administration, City of Copenhagen
Marie Hvid Damborg works in the public sector in Denmark and has more than 13 years of leadership experience from the City of Copenhagen and the Capital Region of Denmark. She is currently Head of Digitalization in the Technical and Environmental Administration in the City of Copenhagen. Her area includes around 65 employees and is responsible for the administration’s work with digitalization, data, IT projects, and compliance (including information security and GDPR). Over the years, she has managed various administrative areas such as digitalization, finance, HR, legal affairs, and political and executive support. She has led both teams and departments and has experience coordinating cross-organizational initiatives, particularly within digital transformation in large public organizations. She holds a Master’s degree in Public Governance from Copenhagen Business School.
Mark Peterson, Head of Data and Insight, North Yorkshire Council
As the Head of Data and Insight at North Yorkshire Council, my mission is to show data is much more than 1’s and 0’s… the real value is how it describes people’s lives, relationships and communities. We all have a responsibility to love, care and protect the data we hold, so we can be confident we are making the best decisions for the people we serve. In our increasingly connected world, no one system or organisation can truly describe a person. By sharing data, using standards and building together, we can open the door to life changing opportunities.
Sonia Brar, Chief Technology Officer, City of Toronto
Sonia, a visionary executive, thrives in large scale technology transformations. She is people and purpose driven, building diverse, high performing teams that are empowered to innovate on ambitious initiatives. In 2020, Sonia won Innovator of the Year, by Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) for her leadership excellence, the 2024 Toronto ORBIE Award for Large Enterprises, and was named a Top 50 Tech Leader 2024 by Canada-India Tech Council. Sonia cultivates the next generation of talent through development programs and serving on boards, including WCT, the Toronto Network of Women, and the Women in Technology Network.
Eddie Copeland, Director, London Office of Technology and Innovation
Eddie Copeland is the founding Director of the London Office of Technology and Innovation (LOTI), London local government’s collaborative innovation team. Previously he was Director of Government Innovation at Nesta, the innovation foundation. Over the past decade, he has worked with senior officials in the United Nations, European Commission as well as national and local governments around the world to support their digital, data and innovation strategies. He is the author of seven think tank reports on government use of technology and data.
Webinar Chair: Sarah Wray, Global Government Forum
Sarah has over 15 years’ experience as a journalist with a specialism in the public sector and topics such as digitalisation and climate action.
Sarah is GGF’s research editor, where she leads research projects that work to identify best practice from government leaders around the world, and to understand the skills and priorities of civil servants.
Sarah was formerly the editor of Cities Today and Smart Cities World, as well as a specialist video-based publication in the aerospace sector. She has also written for publications including Smart Cities Dive, Mobile Europe, Mobile World Live and Computer Weekly.
