4th June 2025
Artificial intelligence is quietly transforming how local governments operate and deliver services to their communities. While the private sector’s AI adoption often makes headlines, equally significant transformations are happening in town halls and council offices across the country, where they face budget constraints, increasing service demands, and staffing challenges. AI in the public sector offers enhanced efficiency, improved outcomes and personalised citizen services.
Local governments face a perfect storm of challenges: Tightening budgets, increasing service demands and staffing shortages. Many are turning to AI-powered solutions to help bridge these gaps. The potential benefits are compelling:
With great innovation, comes great responsibility.
As AI adoption accelerates in the public sector, ethical considerations become paramount. Unlike businesses, local authorities have a universal service obligation – they must serve everyone fairly and transparently. It’s essential to safeguard and thoughtfully address the needs our most vulnerable citizens.
AI systems are only as unbiased as the data they learn from. It they’re trained on flawed or incomplete datasets, these systems can inadvertently amplify existing inequalities. This highlights one of the central challenges of using AI in the public sector – ensuring that automation supports equity, rather than unintentionally reinforcing inequalities.
Local governments using AI for welfare assessments, housing allocations or other social services must be vigilant about potential bias. This requires diverse training data, regular algorithm audits and human oversight of automated decisions affecting vulnerable individuals.
Tewkesbury Borough Council has implemented natural language processing to better understand and respond to resident queries, ensuring people receive accurate help quickly regardless of their enquiry type.
“Liberty Converse uses advanced natural language processes (AI) to understand and respond to our wide range of our customers’ queries. In reality, this means our residents receive quick and accurate help – whether they’re calling about council services, reporting issues or needing information on something. It doesn’t matter really what they’re contacting us about, they’ll get the support they need quickly.“
Clare Evans
Director of Transformation, Tewkesbury Borough Council
Citizens deserve to understand how decisions affecting their lives are made. As AI becomes integrated into governance, transparency is essential for maintaining public trust.
This doesn’t mean revealing the proprietary algorithms but providing accessible information about what data is being used, how it influences outcomes and where human judgment enters the process. This transparency helps address fears about AI as a mysterious “black box” making decisions without accountability.
The ethical considerations more important in services for vulnerable populations than perhaps anywhere else. AI can help identify early warning signs and prioritise cases needing attention before crises develop. But, if they’re poorly implemented, these same systems could inadvertently neglect or further marginalise those most in need.
The key principle here is augmentation rather than replacement. AI should enhance human decision-making, not substitute for it. Social workers, housing officers, and other professionals remain the heart of service delivery, with AI providing valuable insights to support their judgment.
Some local authorities are already using pattern recognition in case data to identify at-risk individuals earlier. This proactive approach prevents crises and ensures resources reach those who need them most.
By prioritising these ethical considerations from the beginning, local authorities can harness the transformative potential of AI in the public sector, while maintaining the trust and confidence of their communities.
Successfully integrating AI in the public sector requires thoughtful implementation guided by ethical principles.
As we utilise the power of AI in the public sector, at Netcall, our commitment to data ethics and privacy is paramount. It is essential for local governments to honour citizen privacy while also capitalising on AI to enhance the quality of services. We are leading the way for local authorities, with the Liberty platform offering with a robust commitment to ethical data practices, including:
The future of AI in the public sector isn’t just about technological capability – it’s about responsible innovation that puts citizens’ needs and rights at the centre of digital transformation.
For those in local government considering AI implementation, starting with clear ethical guidelines is essential. Liberty’s framework provides a solid foundation that balances innovation with responsibility. By prioritising ethical considerations from the beginning, local authorities can harness AI’s transformative potential while maintaining the trust and confidence of their communities.
Local government reorganisation requires efficiency, collaboration, and strategic planning. Process mapping helps councils streamline services, eliminate duplication, and future-proof governance models. With Liberty Spark, councils can navigate change confidently, ensuring smooth transitions, improved outcomes, and sustainable modernisation for citizens
AI in the public sector is transforming local government by streamlining workloads and enhancing services. It helps manage enquiries efficiently, detect risks, and automate tasks without replacing human workers. Proper integration ensures AI supports operations rather than becoming a superficial, trend-driven tool.
Discover how technology can be used to improve service delivery in the public sector and enhance citizen services.
Here are some of the reasons and objections to introducing RPA that we’ve come across, featuring Jim Davis, Customer Improvement Manager, at South Hams District Council.
Low-code platforms can deliver a rapid return on investment for councils. Find out what are the best way to accelerate time-to-value like in the case of Tewkesbury Borough Council.
Discover how low-code platforms like Citizen Hub empower UK councils to close the digital skills gap, deliver faster public services, reduce costs, and enhance citizen satisfaction.
Low-code technology can enable councils to achieve more with less. However, be aware that low-code platforms can vary enormously. Choosing one requires extra care. Here are four important questions for councils to ask.
Keep up with regular news from Netcall – you’ll hear about cut-through process automation and communications solutions to help you achieve your business goals faster.
Discover how Liberty’s AI solutions empower councils with transparency, fairness, and efficiency
