Throughout my career following public administrations, a perception has become increasingly evident: the biggest challenge for managers is not just doing more, but to bring public power closer to the real needs of the population.
Interestingly, we have never produced so much data, we have never had so many technological tools available, and yet many citizens continue to find it difficult to access basic information and services. It is precisely in this scenario that technology and artificial intelligence they no longer represent a tendency to become effective instruments of citizenship.
A city hall or a City Council only achieves its true purpose when it becomes an integrated, connected structure, capable of using innovation far from simple “technological fluff”, directing it towards what really matters: offer more efficient, transparent and accessible public services.
The examples are already within our reach. In healthcare, cell phones can become the main relationship channel between citizens and the public network. Imagine checking, in real time, the availability of medicines, viewing photos of the products, identifying active ingredients and monitoring the stocks of municipal pharmacies before even leaving home.
Behind the scenes of administration, the benefits are equally relevant. Each medication withdrawal can be automatically linked to the patient’s electronic medical record, forming a single and integrated clinical history. Thus, regardless of the health unit where the care takes place, the professional will have immediate access to previous exams, treatments carried out and current prescriptions, reducing waste and avoiding repeated exams.
Artificial intelligence expands this potential even further. By analyzing large volumes of information, it can identify risk factors, anticipate epidemiological trends in certain regions of the city, issue alerts about possible drug interactions and provide managers with strategic information to act preventivelyinstead of just reacting to problems.
This same logic can be applied to practically all areas of public administration.
In education, parents and guardians now monitor not only grades and attendance, but the pedagogical development of students throughout the school year. In urban janitorial services, requests to change public lighting, tree pruning or road repairs can be recorded in a georeferenced manner, allowing greater control and agility in service.
More than that, computer vision systems integrated into urban cameras now make it possible to automatically identify situations such as unlit streetlights, holes on public roads or irregular accumulation of waste, generating work orders before the citizen even needs to register a complaint.
In public security, the integration of intelligent video surveillance, panic buttons designed to protect women and rapid response systems strengthens prevention and reduces the time it takes to respond to incidents. In urban mobility, Real-time information makes public transport more efficientwhile culture and sport also benefit from platforms capable of organizing agendas, publicizing events and facilitating the population’s access to activities offered by the municipality.
This need for rapprochement also reaches the Legislative Branch.
City Councils are experiencing a historic opportunity to strengthen popular participation through digital tools. A connected Chamber allows citizens to follow the sessions, consult bills, send suggestions, present demands directly to parliamentary offices and understand, with much more clarity, how decisions are made.
Institutional communication also evolves in this context. Podcasts, studio interviews, live broadcasts and content produced for different platforms bring councilors closer to the population and strengthen accountability.
At the same time, generative artificial intelligence offers resources capable of making the legislative process much more accessible. In just a few seconds, debates can be transcribed, projects indexed by subject and legal texts converted into simple language, allowing any citizen to easily understand what is being discussed in their municipality.
It is important to highlight that artificial intelligence does not replace the public manager nor does it eliminate the need for human sensitivity. On the contrary. Its main function is to expand analysis capacity, reduce bureaucracy and offer qualified information for faster, more transparent and efficient decisions.
When city halls and councils manage to reduce the distance between the office and the sidewalk, everyone wins. Governing, in the 21st century, means connecting people, data and solutions. Artificial intelligence does not govern cities nor replace the responsibility of public agents. But, when used with planning, transparency and commitment to the collective interest, it becomes one of the most powerful tools to bring the State closer to those who really matter: the citizen.
*Eduardo Gurian(@dugurian) is a journalist with a postgraduate degree in Marketing and International Business, consultant in public and private communications, university professor and presenter of the Conexões program on Rádio Capela FM and YouTube.
Source: www.bing.com
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