Report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer.

This report sets out what automation means for the Council as there are many different technologies associated with automation, one of which is Artificial Intelligence. Section 1 provides an introduction for this report written by ChatGPT.

The committee considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer which established the Council’s current position on and plans for automation and artificial intelligence (AI) and defined the different terminologies that often get grouped into this.

Key points and themes within the report included:

• An introduction written by artificial intelligence software, ChatGPT;
• The benefits of automation for the Council;
• Types of automation;
• Opportunities and risks from the ongoing development of AI; and
• Future ambitions for automation and AI and next steps.

Key points and queries that arose from the committee’s discussion included:

• Noting the evolving nature of AI and automation;
• The impact of AI and automation on the workforce, and whether staff are consulted on proposed changes;
• Whether there were any real examples of AI being used to drive efficiencies and to streamline processes;
• Requesting that future reports include case studies;
• The need to implement new technologies appropriately so as not to alienate residents;
• How the use of AI and automation would change job roles;
• Whether an ethical approach would be taken to implementation of AI;
• Issues around intellectual property rights;
• Recommending that this be a standing item for discussion at Joint Consultative Committee (JCC) meetings; and
• Noting that Google Meet allowed AI personas to attend virtual meetings, and querying whether this would be rolled out within the Council.

In introducing the item, the Director of ICT recognised the growing profile of AI and automation within the news and explained that the Council had been using some established automation software for a substantial period of time.

In response to members’ questions, the Director of ICT concurred that AI and automation was a fast-moving issue. Members were interested to note that some job applications received by the Council appeared to be written by AI and new technologies were being developed to identify what had been created through AI. Briefing sessions on new technologies would be arranged for members later in the year.

The Director of ICT acknowledged the importance of engaging with the workforce and unions. He noted that engagement had been undertaken previously where new systems or technologies were implemented and that a report had been requested by the JCC on the impacts of AI and automation.

With regards to real examples of AI in use, the committee was informed of two pilots regarding issuing blue badges and reconciliation of earnings which were being designed. A further report on these pilots could be provided to the committee at a later date.

The need to create guidance on how the Council will use AI and automation was highlighted to ensure the right processes and procedures were in place. The impact of AI and automation in changing job roles was acknowledged as more technologies were adopted and would provide greater flexibility for staff to work on other tasks.

In response to a query around intellectual property rights, the Director of ICT explained that legislation and regulations on this were awaited from the government, but the Council would put its own guidance in place.

The Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer highlighted the potential of AI but stated that the Council was still in the early stages of implementing this. She explained that work was underway between ICT, Communications, Legal and Policy to create a stronger framework for the AI and automation agenda and there was a lot of work being undertaken across Greater Manchester, which the Council could draw expertise from.

The Director of ICT informed members that Microsoft Teams would be launching a similar AI persona technology to Google Meet and that the Council would assess where it could be suitable to use this.

The Executive Member for Finance and Resources reiterated how this technology was fast-moving and stated that the next steps listed in the report were appropriate.

Decision:

That the committee

1. notes the report, and
2. recommends that, through the JCC, the workforce be consulted on any proposed changes or implementation of AI and automation technologies.