Set to a backdrop of catchy upbeat tunes, local government officials joined global tech and policy leaders in the Denver Art Museum’s Sturm Grand Pavilion in Denver on Monday afternoon for Denver’s second city-led AI Summit.

Sporting a theme of “AI-powered cities of the future,” the high-level conclave aims to explore how governments can leverage technology to modernize government and address challenges such as housing, homelessness, permitting and more.

As major cities, such as Los Angeles and Chicago, struggle to move government forward, experts say many are banking on AI to increase efficiency and cut red tape, thereby boosting revenue.

But some stumbling blocks remain.

“I think there’s a lot of concern people have about using AI for things like benefits determinations, and what I would say is yes, they’re going to make some mistakes in that regard, but you have to remember that humans are making a lot of mistakes,” Code for America Founder Jennifer Pahlka. 

Pahlka added that while researchers are working to understand how and where errors may arise, “we do want to be very careful when we are using this technology to make decisions that really impact people’s lives – there are 1000 other ways to use AI that aren’t that one really scary thing.”

Denver currently employs several artificial intelligence platforms to enhance efficiency, including the city’s chatbot, Sunny, which is used to answer questions and direct residents to city resources in more than 72 languages.

The city’s planning department also uses AI  technology to map out inspection routes, leveraging the city’s existing geospatial data, saving time and resources.

Other possibilities experts cite include using AI to expedite permitting, evaluate federal tax returns and even plow through historical documents and city code.

Stanford University professor Daniel Ho, an expert on artificial intelligence and regulatory policy, detailed work his organization had done in California, where local counties were grappling with a state law that required each of the county recorders to review all of their historical deed records and identify racially restrictive covenants. 

“And some counties approached this just by throwing human beings at it, Ho said. The problem is, in Santa Clara County, that’s 84 million pages of records.” 

Ho said a simple AI system was developed that could quickly identify all the provisions for the restricted deeds, significantly reducing the amount of labor required to complete the task.

But looking toward the future, Ho said his hopes would be that there is an essential framework developed for governments “to be able to distinguish AI snake oil from AI to solve real public problems.”

As Denver faces a $200 million budget deficit, technology has been eyed by multiple departments as a way to help plug the hole and compensate for the reduced workforce resulting from recent layoffs.

Colorado education officials, business leaders and technology groups said they are relieved that a new state law regulating artificial intelligence has been delayed by a few months — but they remained frustrated that many of their broader worries remain unresolved.

Last year, Gov. Jared Polis signed the nation’s first law regulating “high-risk” artificial intelligence systems. While he signed the measure, he issued a rare signing statement to the Colorado General Assembly, warning them that, without fine-tuning the new regulation before it goes into effect, it would tamper with innovation in Colorado, inhibit the state’s ability to compete, and put the new technology’s full potential out of reach to residents and businesses here.

“There is the possibility for federal regulations that are consistent across states, that’s much easier for us than the state-by-state framework,” Johnston told the crowd. “What we don’t do, is anything at the state level that disadvantages our ability as a city to attract or keep technology talent across the city.”

The summit continues through Sept 30.