Dive Brief:
- Nearly 90% of U.S. residents say local governments should always disclose when AI is used in digital services, a recent PayIt survey found.
- Resident comfort levels with local governments using AI have stayed mostly consistent this year, with 53% reporting they are comfortable or very comfortable compared with 50% last year. Survey respondents reporting they are uncomfortable or very uncomfortable fell from 50% to 47%.
- Nearly 65% of state and local governments remain in the planning stages of AI adoption for resident-facing services, an earlier PayIt survey found, with 26% reporting they’re currently using AI tools.
Dive Insight:
Proliferating AI tools have the potential to transform local government digital services, experts say, whether by streamlining permitting processes or helping residents navigate municipal websites.
More than 90% of local government leaders using AI say it has boosted operational efficiency, according to PayIt.
But another survey this year found public trust around government use of the technology is lagging.
The July PayIt survey of 815 adults who had completed a state or local government transaction online in the past 18 months shows they didn’t perceive all AI use cases the same way.
“When we named specific uses instead of asking about AI in the abstract, comfort rose on nearly every one,” PayIt stated. “Residents are more willing than the broad question suggests, once they know what the AI would actually be doing.”
Nearly 65% of respondents said they were comfortable with state and local governments using AI to answer questions about government services, and nearly 60% were also comfortable with AI assistance to pay a bill or apply for a license.
Respondents were more divided about using AI to resolve customer complaints or service problems, with 54% saying they were comfortable and 46% reporting discomfort. Fifty-one percent said they were uncomfortable with using AI to evaluate eligibility for a government benefit, and 49% said they were comfortable.
Residents’ willingness to allow an AI agent to to handle interactions with state and local government services on their behalf was murky, with 37% responding no, 32% saying yes and 31% unsure.
A quarter of respondents who interacted with AI for government services ranked the experience as “fair,” 39% ranked it as “good,” and 23% ranked it as “excellent.”
