St. Pete seeks AI solutions to supercharge city operations
- Mark Parker
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Updated: 5 hours ago
St. Petersburg officials believe artificial intelligence can, potentially, revolutionize city operations, municipal service delivery, and workforce productivity. But first, they need more information on the rapidly evolving technology.
Mayor Ken Welch’s administration has issued a formal request for information (RFI) from tech-focused vendors regarding the use of multiple forms of artificial intelligence (AI). The goal is to “assess available technologies, implementation models, governance considerations, and cost structures,” which will inform future planning and a potential competitive procurement process, according to the announcement.
The RFI, released on April 15, is purely exploratory - it is not a call for bids or proposals and does not guarantee that the city will enter into any contracts. It states that the gathered information will support efforts to assess feasibility, estimate future costs, identify potential risks, and establish a governance framework to inform decisions on future AI initiatives.
“I just think at some point, every organization, every entity, is going to have to learn how to utilize AI or be left behind,” Welch told Power Broker Magazine. “So, that’s our approach at this point.”
Welch declined to discuss details while the RFI is active. Interested vendors have until 3 p.m. to submit required documentation.
The future of AI is “wide open,” said Welch, who was first introduced to the technology at mayor's conference in 2023 and continues familiarizing himself with the latest technological advancements. “There’s so much opportunity there.”
David Thompson, director of government affairs, is overseeing the initiative. He also serves as co-chair of the city’s AI Task Force, and recently noted that the group is “making great progress.”
Thompson said on Tuesday that the task force, following the mayor’s direction, is “very intentional about maintaining resident trust and thinking about efficiencies in operations.” The city will use the insight gathered from the RFI to create a database of possible AI solutions for local government.
“Then we can go from there, assessing what departments make sense to start piloting AI usage,” Thompson added. “Then we’ll go through the process we’ve developed to make sure it’s responsible, and that our residents can feel good about it.”
AI-involved procedures regarding auditability and compliance with Florida public records requirements will still have human oversight, according to the RFI’s question-and-answer section. An unnamed official said the goal is to enhance staff productivity rather than replace their decision-making.
“To maintain public trust, the city expects AI-supported processes to include appropriate human-in-the-loop review, accountability, auditability, and traceability,” the reply states.
Currently identified priority areas for AI integration include building permitting and review, resident safety and security, and public facility usage. The technology could also review policy and contract discrepancies, collect data, and schedule meetings, notes the RFI.
Thompson said the city would engage the public once the submission window closes. He reiterated that Welch wants to “make sure we have resident trust and that they understand what we’re doing with AI. So, we’ll have that external process.”
AI is not new to municipal government. New York, Boston, Seattle, Austin, Baltimore, and San Francisco are among the cities that have already embraced the technology.
According to Smart Cities Dive, cities are largely adopting AI to address staffing shortages and increase capacity. A survey in 2025 found that local government utilization has nearly tripled, to 45%, since 2020.
St. Petersburg, which continues working to modernize its technological systems, is also using AI, albeit in a limited capacity. The city’s current generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) “environment” consists of Microsoft Copilot and “limited ChatGPT licenses,” states the RFI.
Welch’s administration requested information on AI, GenAI, and agentic AI solutions. The traditional version analyzes data to make predictions or classify information.
GenAI creates new content, including text and pictures, based on user prompts. Agentic AI, the most advanced, acts autonomously to achieve complex goals by planning, using tools, and iterating over multiple steps.
Officials are seeking “high-level, non-binding” cost estimates. They encourage vendors to provide pricing ranges or assumptions that incorporate licensing, implementation, integration, training, support, maintenance, usage fees, and potential future expansion.
“The city considers the initial uptake of AI solutions as a pilot process that will require flexibility on implementation due to the nascent nature of many of these technologies,” notes the RFI. “As we train our workforce to engage with these platforms, we anticipate variability within departments in integration and adoption.”
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