Salinas rolls out AI pilot plan, promises training and July performance update
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Summary
City staff outlined a three‑part AI pilot—including Zen City social listening, CitiBot website chatbot and Microsoft Copilot—for February–June with public‑facing training, data governance and an evaluation report expected in July; council and residents pressed for accessibility, accuracy and oversight safeguards.
City information‑assistance manager Carlos Ortega told the Salinas City Council on Jan. 27 that the city will pilot three AI products starting this spring to streamline services and improve community engagement.
Ortega said the city has selected Zen City, a social‑listening and sentiment platform; CitiBot, a web chatbot offering 24/7 answers and real‑time translation in many languages; and Microsoft Copilot, an assistant for staff workflows. Zen City is scheduled for deployment in February, Copilot and CitiBot development is planned February–April, pilot testing in May–June, and staff aims to present performance metrics and key findings to the council in July.
Ortega said the pilot work will follow the city’s AI governance policy, which includes a companion “responsible AI use” infographic and data‑governance practices to limit inputs, protect privacy and require human review for uncertain responses. He said the city is part of the Gov AI coalition and working with regional partners including the Monterey Bay Economic Partnership and the Salinas Public Library on digital‑literacy training.
Councilmembers and residents questioned accuracy, scope and equity during a lengthy public and council Q&A. Concerns included how the chatbot would handle complex permitting questions, how the city would prevent “hallucinations” or incorrect responses, whether the tools would serve residents who lack internet access or speak languages beyond English and Spanish, and whether translation devices and live captions would be reliable for hearing‑impaired or low‑literacy users.
Ortega said CitiBot will be contained to the city website and rely on the city’s own published documents; if the software is uncertain it will provide contact details for the appropriate department. He also said companies that supply the tools must document modeling, data security and containerization and that staff training and iterative testing are part of the pilot approach.
Several councilmembers supported an incremental, pilot‑first rollout, and urged staff to prioritize outreach and public education. Margaret and other members recommended additional community workshops and library‑led classes. Ortega said the library’s recent digital‑literacy pilot and IBM SkillsBuild course will factor into trainings.
The presentation did not require council action; staff said there is no purchase contract yet and emphasized the pilots are intended to inform future procurement. Ortega reiterated the city’s goal of returning in July with performance metrics, lessons learned and recommendations for broader implementation or course corrections.
