AI technologies for responsive local government in South Africa

In 2018, South Africa's Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) partnered with a private company to launch GovChat, an online citizen engagement application designed to promote responsive and accountable local government through the development of an accessible platform for direct messaging between citizens and their local government councillors. The planned pipeline for GovChat includes the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to boost effectiveness and efficiency. GovChat is one of several applications exploring the use of AI to enhance citizen engagement with local government in South Africa.