Artificial intelligence is quickly becoming essential infrastructure for local governments facing staffing shortages and rising service demands. According to Kate May, principal of product management at Granicus, the key is applying AI where governments feel the greatest strain — preserving institutional knowledge, reducing manual workloads, and improving resident experiences at the same time.
That message came through during a recent webinar hosted by FedInsider, George Washington University, Carahsoft, and Granicus, which explored a pressing question: Can AI deliver better processes while reducing costs for cities and counties?
For Granicus, the answer lies in applying AI strategically across the workflows that define government service delivery — turning automation into measurable operational relief.
The broader discussion reflected a shared consensus among city and county leaders. Khaled Tawfik, CIO for the City of San Jose, emphasized that agencies should begin with services most primed for transformation. “Services provided in high volume that involve repetitive tasks and are considered to be low-risk are good candidates,” he said. In San Jose, that includes 311 services, permitting status updates, and appointment scheduling — areas where automation relieves staff pressure while improving response times.
Start where government feels the most pressure
Local governments operate in an environment defined by competing demands. Staffing shortages strain internal teams while residents expect faster responses, seamless digital access, and service experiences comparable to the private sector.
Granicus is helping governments address these challenges by embedding AI into the systems agencies already rely on.
“In Granicus, we have our
Government Experience Cloud (GXC), which covers a wide range of missions and business domains,” May said. “That’s where we often begin conversations with our customers around things like public records or meetings and agenda management or service request management.”
Kate May
Principal Product Manager, Granicus
These systems form the operational backbone of government — and represent some of the greatest opportunities for improvement when repetitive work consumes staff time.
San Jose’s experience shows how this works in practice. Tawfik described automating intake and routing for 311 services. “Some of these tools can automate the intake and also provide the status … where the request is sent to the appropriate team without a human in the middle,” he said. Flexibility remains essential, he added, since some residents prefer speaking with a person while others expect 24/7 digital access.
But efficiency is only part of the equation. Governments also face a generational workforce transition that threatens to erode institutional knowledge.
“We’re really focused on where we can find the most pain — pain of both the staff and of the customers,” May said. “And especially where are you at internal risks of losing that institutional knowledge or capacity with the silver tsunami trends that we’re seeing.”
That concern resonates at the county level. Todd Sharkey, IT director for Lorain County, Ohio, has used AI to modernize records management across departments. “We can bring these documents in, we can index them, we can categorize them, we can put them automatically into the right folder sequence,” Sharkey explained. For counties managing vast archives and public records requests, automation safeguards knowledge while improving retrieval speed and accuracy.
By capturing knowledge, automating routine tasks, and streamlining workflows, AI helps agencies preserve expertise while maintaining continuity of service.
From automation to augmentation: Helping staff do more with less
AI should strengthen government operations by supporting staff, not replacing them. Through GXC, AI capabilities help agencies work faster while keeping humans in control of critical decisions.
“We take a pretty strong stance that lean and human-centered design should be at the center of how we approach those expanded conversations,” May said.
These capabilities support operational improvements such as:
- Automatically routing service requests.
- Summarizing public records and communications.
- Flagging compliance risks.
- Supporting staff decision-making.
- Translating content and improving accessibility.
In Lorain County, the impact is measured simply. “The biggest thing that we’re looking at is time saved,” Sharkey said. With teams stretched thin, freeing up time allows employees to focus more directly on serving residents.
Tawfik emphasized that gains must translate into visible service improvements. “The public does not really deal with memos. They deal with requests. They want their trash to be picked up on time,” he said. AI initiatives must improve outcomes residents can see — not just internal productivity.
Identifying the right starting point: Focus on real operational needs
Successful AI adoption begins with understanding where technology can make the most meaningful difference. Rather than pursuing AI for its own sake, Granicus works with agencies to identify high-impact opportunities grounded in real challenges.
“I think it’s focusing on asking staff and leadership both the question, ‘If you had a magic wand, what’s the first thing you would change that would make your job easier and that would make your residents the happiest?’” May said.
That process often requires experimentation. “Be flexible. Be willing to prototype and test,” Sharkey advised, noting that technology evolves quickly and pilots may need adjustment.
Granicus then uses data-driven discovery to establish baselines and measurable goals.
“We like to get a baseline of data in the discovery process … What does today look like? How many calls are you getting? How many workflows are you processing?” May said.
San Jose reinforces the importance of measurement and transparency. The city tracks 311 performance publicly. “We’re very proud when we fail, because we admit that we failed, which means we’re willing to acknowledge failure and we’re going to work on it,” Tawfik said. That accountability strengthens trust and keeps AI investments outcome driven.
Why government agencies are partnering with Granicus
Building AI capabilities internally is difficult for many agencies. Limited staffing, evolving technology, and competing priorities make in-house development challenging.
“We are so understaffed that our people are doing so many things,” Sharkey said, underscoring why scalable platforms can accelerate progress.
Granicus provides a faster, lower-risk path forward by delivering AI capabilities purpose-built for government.
“For certain problems, it is a better choice … to work with vendors,” May said. “We’re working with, right now, 35 or 40 cities and counties solving specific problems … It is often lower risk, and you can get much farther, much faster.”
Granicus’ experience across hundreds of public sector organizations brings shared best practices and scalable solutions that accelerate adoption while minimizing risk.
Turning AI into real-world results with GXC
Granicus is operationalizing AI through GXC, integrating capabilities across the service lifecycle.
Service Cloud modernizes service request management. Engagement Cloud delivers personalized communications. Operations Cloud streamlines public records, agenda workflows, and compliance processes.
Together, these solutions help governments shift from reactive service delivery to proactive engagement.
That proactive shift was a vision shared across the panel. “I am really optimistic … where we transitioned from being reactive to being proactive,” Tawfik said. His measure of success: “The less the public need me, the more I know that I deliver the service in an effective manner.”
As May emphasized, the ultimate goal is measurable improvement — not experimentation for its own sake.
“The biggest opportunities are going to come from the cities and counties getting really crystal clear on their goals and priorities, establishing data governance, IT governance, and those basic building blocks to success,” she said.
By applying AI strategically, governments can improve efficiency, preserve institutional knowledge, and deliver better experiences for the communities they serve.
Sharkey offered a final note of urgency:
“If you’re not using and finding a way of using AI in the next 12 to 24 months, you’re going to be left behind.”
Watch the webinar: How AI is reshaping government service delivery
AI is already transforming how governments operate. Through GXC, agencies can streamline workflows, reduce administrative burden, and deliver faster, more responsive services without increasing staffing levels.
Watch the full webinar to hear directly from government and Granicus leaders about how AI is delivering measurable results for cities and counties and how your agency can begin realizing those benefits today.
