How are small and medium organisations (SMEs) using generative AI? Well, first you need to define ‘use’. Almost everybody is using ChatGPT to fix their emails. Whether they want to and can admit to that is a different question. Whether that practice is supported and embedded within the organisation, or whether that is just somebody…

The phrase “responsible AI governance” is a bit vague and as a result it is often interpreted in one of two ways: either it’s about regulation, or it’s about risk management. At the urban scale, regulation is often beyond the municipal jurisdiction. Regulation tends to be regional, national or international. What remains is risk management.…

The real revolution in generative AI is actually going to be incredibly mundane. In its insidious simplicity, it has significant impacts for the public sector. * The other day I met my neighbor. We had a slightly longer elevator ride than normal, and after three years of living in the same building, I finally asked…

There are two reasons that people ask this question. First, hope – city leaders are looking to make efficiency and budget gains, and turn to the promise of new technology. Second, and following on from that, fear – there are concerns over accountability and public scandals. There are many different types of AI, and many…

“You have to move from ‘what’s my vision and how do I get people to follow me to the future’, instead leading innovation is about getting people to co-create that future with you. And co-creation requires a different kind of leadership.” Linda A. Hill This is the second time in a week I come across…

Can governance evolve to hard-wire public interest into the way things are done? The use of data and digital traces for urban services raises new challenges for guarding the public interest. To help address this, my colleagues and I have been developing new forms of what we call governance clinics: strategy workshops to explore and…