Township of King, Ont. — King Township is leading the way in digital transformation with the adoption of a ‘Responsible Artificial Intelligence (AI) Roadmap’ that outlines the Township’s AI principles, results of maturity assessments, future plans and more.This roadmap supports the Township’s Digital Transformation Framework (launched April 2024) providing a blueprint for integrating innovation with a focus on several key priority areas, including digital services, data transparency, connecting the community, internal digital transformation and continuous improvement. As one of the first municipalities in Canada to implement an AI-specific roadmap, King Township is committed to leveraging the benefits of AI while implementing high standards of safety and integrity.
Successful AI initiatives
One of King’s recent standout achievements was the introduction of Kingsley, an AI-powered virtual assistant available on king.ca. Kingsley offers 24/7 availability, enhances users' web-browsing experience, and provides seamless first-point-of-contact assistance. The virtual assistant ensures intuitive natural language interactions, reducing wait times and simplifying information searches. King has received encouraging feedback from users in its first six months of operation, with key insights including more than 1,000 conversations, an 88% satisfaction rate and 40% of chats happening outside of business hours.
King recently upgraded its data sources to include integration with website information from York Region, providing even more answers in one place for residents.
The Township has also launched an internal AI Productivity pilot leveraging Microsoft Copilot, to augment staff’s capabilities. From content creation to editing material and summarizing meetings, King is encouraging staff to experiment with AI and automation to create efficiencies and capacity for more challenging tasks.
AI tools offer numerous advantages that can significantly enhance municipal operations:
- Efficiency: Automating routine tasks and generating draft content quickly.
- Enhanced services: Providing better and more personalized services to residents.
- Informed decision-making: Offering data-driven insights and recommendations.
- Innovation: Encouraging creative solutions and new ways of thinking.
While AI presents exciting opportunities, it also comes with risks that must be managed, including ensuring the accuracy of AI-generated content, protecting sensitive information from unauthorized access, cybersecurity threats, reducing bias in AI outputs to ensure fairness and safeguarding proprietary information.
To address these risks, King Township has established the following six guiding principles related to the use of AI at the Township:
- A human-centric approach: AI projects are led by people to create efficiencies and enhance value for citizens, businesses, staff and the community.
- Responsible and safe: A strong commitment to safeguarding user data, reducing cybersecurity risks, and establishing protocols to address potential issues promptly.
- Transparent: Informing affected groups about AI systems, including what data is collected.
- Understandable: Making sure AI is easy to understand.
- Value-driven: AI projects should have clear goals that provide real benefits.
- Fairness: Making AI tools accessible to everyone and reducing bias.
Before procuring any new AI tools, King Township staff are required to submit an “AI Suitability Form” with a business case for approval to an internal Leveraging Technology Steering Committee. Approved tools will undergo regular reviews to confirm they remain safe and effective. Staff using GenAI tools must complete required training and follow best practices on responsible use. Staff are also required to attend mandatory AI training sessions.
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Daniel Kostopoulos
Chief Administrative Officer, King Township
“King Township is proud to be a leader in the responsible use of Artificial Intelligence. By adopting a Responsible Artificial Intelligence Roadmap, we aim to harness the power of emerging technologies to enhance operations and improve citizen experience, with safeguards in place to mitigate risks. By being transparent about our use of AI, we aim to inspire confidence among our citizens and serve as a model for other municipalities.”
For regular updates on Township programs and events, follow the official corporate social media channels on X, Facebook and Instagram or visit king.ca.
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Media Contact
Township of King
Jason Ballantyne, Communications Officer
Township of King | Phone: 905-833-5321 | Email: media@king.ca