Last April, during the Good Roads Conference in Toronto, Lake of Bays Mayor Terry Glover was introduced to an AI tool capable of revolutionizing road work.
It was an app you download to your phone that you can use from a snow plow or road truck. The app detects missing street signs or potholes, and it can even tell you how much salt to drop in the winter on different sections of road.
At another conference, hosted in Lake of Bays, a speaker introduced Glover to an AI model that could memorize a municipality’s entire file system as well as answer the phone in just about any language.
While Glover says that Lake of Bays isn’t in the process of integrating either system, he figures AI will be a driving force behind the future of municipalities, and he’s open to the idea of progress. “I’m always looking for ways to make services better,” he says.
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Cities across Canada are piloting AI-powered projects to try and make their services more efficient. Vaughan, for instance, saved $400,000 in a year by using AI and weather forecasts to determine which parts of the city required the most road salt, rather than wasting it in areas that didn’t require salting.
Toronto is using AI with cameras and sensors to adjust its traffic lights, optimizing traffic flow. Calgary is using AI to identify pavement cracks and potholes from traffic camera images, repairing them faster. And Edmonton is using AI to track wildlife movements in the city, attempting to reduce dangerous human-wildlife interactions.
Lake of Bays has yet to introduce any tools like these, but Glover points out that the municipality is already dabbling in AI. Lake of Bays currently uses AI-powered GIS (Geographic Information System) mapping. The system uses data and maps to predict weather emergencies, such as tornadoes or flooding. By being able to predict when and where these weather events are going to happen, the municipality and citizens can be better prepared.
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For instance, Glover points to the severe flooding Muskoka experienced a few years ago. If people knew that was coming, they could have gotten their boats out of their boathouses. “The water rose so high it crushed boats against the ceilings of boathouses,” he says.
The other lesson from integrating GIS mapping is that AI won’t be replacing municipal staff. In fact, people will be needed to operate and interpret the AI tools. If anything, Glover says, it will likely free up staff time to work on other projects.
Glover’s one hold-up with AI is around data privacy. He recognizes that some tools could make citizen’s data more vulnerable. On November 25, Ontario passed Bill 194, designed to regulate how the public sector uses AI systems. And within Lake of Bays, Glover says the municipality’s IT department already has its own policy around the protection of citizen’s data. Municipal staff are required to go through testing on how to avoid phishing scams and other openings for malware.
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Keeping this in mind, Glover is still enthusiastic about the potential of AI for municipalities. Although, he’s realistic about the timeline for integrating new systems. Any proposed tool would have to be studied by the IT department to determine its safety. Then council would have to vote on approving the tool, part of which would be dependent on budget.
“Municipalities don’t move the fastest,” he says. “There’s lots of checks and balances.”
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