How Cities Are Using AI Today: Learn More at the Arizona Public Sector AI Symposium

Artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming part of everyday city operations. Rather than focusing on long-term speculation, many cities are already taking practical steps to apply AI in ways that improve services, support staff, and inform better decision-making. 

For Arizona cities and towns, looking at how peer cities are already using these tools can help local leaders better understand where to start, where to improve, and what to prioritize. At the 1st Annual  Arizona Public Sector AI Symposium on Thursday, February 26 at the Tempe Center for the Arts, members of The Connective smart region consortium (i.e., local government representatives) will be joined by state, city, and industry AI leaders to discuss how groundbreaking developments in the space have the potential to impact Arizona regions. The following are a few examples of how cities around North America are using AI functions to improve city services.

First: How Are Cities Approaching AI?

AI is no longer a future conversation for cities. Rather, city leaders are facing growing pressure to understand where AI adds real value. The conversation has shifted from, “What is AI?” to, “How are cities actually using it?” and “How can we implement AI tools to improve our city operations?”

According to a 2025 study of 250 cities by Deloitte, 56% of cities around the globe are actively using or piloting AI to enhance government services and operations, in areas such as traffic flow and road safety, emergency response, cybersecurity, and predictive maintenance for energy grids and water supply systems. Meanwhile, 83% of global cities plan to do so within the next 3 years. 

Many cities are starting with focused, low-risk applications that improve services and efficiency. For example, weaving AI into existing cloud computing and Internet of Things (IoT) applications can enhance data gathering and visualization and improve predictive analytics that support urban planning. Cities that want to begin or expand their use of AI can look to examples of how it’s already being used to boost governmental effectiveness for constituents.

Using AI to Strengthen Core City Operations

AI tools are helping cities analyze operational data to prioritize maintenance and allocate resources more effectively. For example, Los Angeles is using predictive analytics to anticipate infrastructure failures, such as water main breaks due to incidents such as earthquakes.

Milwaukee is another national leader in using AI for city operations, particularly in the area of traffic management. The City’s interstates use AI-powered wrong-way driver alert systems, while the City is exploring connected vehicles and machine learning to improve emergency response times for first responders. 

AI operational use cases tend to focus on prevention, reliability, and cost avoidance. From improving energy and waste management to securing public safety, AI can reduce operational costs while enhancing services.

Improving Resident Services Through AI

Cities are also prioritizing AI applications that improve resident services, enhance accessibility, and support the staff providing them. For example, in Arizona cities like Tempe, Mesa, and Chandler, translation tools are making public meetings and city services more accessible to residents who are non-English language speakers.

Tools like AI-powered 24/7 chatbots enable city services to be reachable any time, anywhere. In San Jose, the city offers custom AI chatbot assistants on a City-secured platform to help residents find information, submit service requests, and navigate City websites.

Tools like these reduce call center volume while improving response times. For both residents and those who serve them, AI can offer effective assistance that improves sentiment all around.

Supporting Planning and Development Decisions

AI is also helping cities identify growth patterns and planning trends that are difficult to visualize without technology. As we’ve covered, AI tools that use machine learning give smart city planners tailored solutions with comprehensive visualization and data tracking of key metrics. The Cities of Surprise and Avondale are already using AI-powered technology to visualize demographic information, vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and county assessor data. 

In Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, the region has used AI to achieve a 60% decrease in first-stage building permit applications by ensuring compliance with zoning requirements, city rules, and building codes. In Maricopa County, the Maricopa Association of Governments uses predictive data tools for public safety forecasting, which supports law enforcement agency staffing, planning, and development. 

AI tools are being used to support professional judgment, rather than replace it. As the tools grow more intelligent, so will the data and resulting research impacts.

AI in Emergency Response & Recovery

Importantly, AI tools have helped cities process large volumes of information quickly during high-pressure situations. These tools can help cities understand where the highest-risk areas are and improve situational awareness and coordination during disasters and emergencies.

For example, the City of New Orleans has used AI-supported data analysis to help prioritize inspections and coordinate disaster recovery efforts in flash flooding. Cities in Texas are similarly using AI capabilities to develop tools that help mitigate flood risk and improve the disaster management process.

In the City of Mesa, Smart Water Meters and Smart Lighting Solutions are monitoring heat island effects, so heat mitigation solutions can be deployed appropriately. AI tools can help keep residents safer by predicting disasters and giving government representatives and emergency responders more lead time to protect constituents. City leaders must ask which AI use cases deliver the most immediate value and use analytics tracking to determine the validity of their efforts and strategies.

As peer learning is becoming a critical part of responsible AI adoption, The Connective looks forward to hosting AI thought leaders at the Arizona Public Sector AI Symposium, Thursday, February 26. Join us at the Tempe Center for the Arts to connect with state and local government representatives and AI leaders to learn how AI is shaping the public sector in the state.