Knock Knocking on city hall doors
Google has released an updated “Mayors AI Playbook” with the U.S. Conference of Mayors at its Winter Meeting in Washington, Axios reports.
Cities are spending more on technology, but many still lack the expertise to deploy AI safely or at scale.
Companies that help bridge that gap early could secure long-term public sector contracts.
Google’s first playbook focused on AI awareness.
This update is more practical, outlining how local governments can begin implementing AI rather than just learning about it.
The goal is to help city leaders test and expand AI use across everyday services, while keeping basic governance and safeguards in place.
The commercial logic is straightforward.
Cities don’t buy AI tools in isolation. They invest in cloud infrastructure, data systems, cybersecurity, and ongoing support, making AI adoption a longer-term commitment.
The playbook focuses on two areas: building the foundations of an “AI-ready city”, and outlining practical use cases such as multilingual communications, call centre upgrades, and document processing.
Competition is growing. Microsoft, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic are all approved AI vendors for government use, making adoption easier for local authorities.
Yet progress remains uneven. A 2024 survey found nearly half of local government officials consider AI a low priority, largely due to a lack of understanding.
This isn’t charity
That gap could lead to uneven adoption across cities.
Some cities are already using AI in targeted ways:
New York City: AI systems reduce vast numbers of cyber threats to a small set staff can review
Miami: Automation is speeding up parts of the zoning approval process
San José: Real-time language translation is now available on its 311 service portal
Overall, early deployments suggest AI can reduce pressure on overstretched teams, provided it is introduced carefully and with the right foundations in place.
Google saw confused mayors and said: perfect customer profile.- MG