The Big AI - Have you been Faking It

Abstract

This paper pulls back the curtain on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and demonstrates that us mere mortals have been attempting to pull-off fake AI for centuries, and that we continue to do so. The Local Government Industry is a good example of fake AI hard at work. On the face of it, councils have good systems and governance processes in place but take a look behind the curtain and you find multiple workflows and processes being carried out manually and inefficiently. The end result is a large amount of time being spent carrying out tasks that could be improved by using true AI technology. There is a perception that the implementation of AI technology is mysterious, complex and future based to achieve major advancements such as driverless vehicles. But did you know AI technology is available right now to councils and can be used to reduce the duplication of daily data collection and input, eliminate manual tasks and improve the efficiency of administrative and technical tasks. The objective of this paper will be to: • Highlight the reasons why councils continue to use fake AI in their workplaces; • Discuss the AI technology available to councils and how it can be used; and • Motivate the audience to pull back the curtain in their workplace and implement changes to improve efficiency, reporting and job satisfaction.