Lincoln City Hall Has a New AI Assistant — Here’s What CivicBot Does

Lincoln residents now have a new way to get information and report problems to the city — by chatting with artificial intelligence.

The City of Lincoln recently launched CivicBot, an AI-powered assistant available throughout the city's website.

Introduced in August, CivicBot is designed to help residents find information without having to search through multiple pages of the city website or figure out which department handles a particular issue.

Report Problems Around Lincoln

One of CivicBot's most useful features is its ability to help residents submit service requests.

Residents can describe a problem in ordinary language or select from categories including streets, water, sewer, stormwater, parks, garbage, facilities and police.

That means someone trying to report a pothole, damaged city property or another neighborhood problem can start with CivicBot rather than searching for the appropriate city department or form.

You Can Even Send It a Photo

CivicBot can also use artificial intelligence to analyze photographs.

If a resident sees a problem but isn't sure what it should be reported as, a photo can be uploaded through the chatbot.

CivicBot analyzes the image and suggests the service-request categories that most closely match what it sees. The resident can then select the appropriate option and submit the request.

For example, the city says a photograph of an overflowing trash can could prompt CivicBot to suggest categories such as a full trash can in a park or debris in a roadway.

Ask It Questions About Lincoln

CivicBot also works as a guide to information already available on the city's website.

Residents can ask questions such as when a city office is open or where a particular service is located. CivicBot provides an answer along with links to the relevant city webpages where additional information is available.

The assistant appears as a chat icon on the City of Lincoln website and can be accessed from any page.

The technology doesn't replace City Hall or city employees, but it gives residents another way to find information and submit requests without having to know beforehand exactly where to look.

For Lincoln residents who have become accustomed to asking Siri, Alexa or ChatGPT for help, even City Hall now has an AI assistant.