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A community engagement platform for local governments in 8 of America’s 10 largest cities announced a $40 million Series C investment in June to help build trust in local government using artificial technology.
The investment comes amid a “decades-long decline in public trust in government, and a recognition that building public trust requires that state and local governments continually engage the public, gathering community input on matters large and small,” wrote Business Wire. (TAKE A POLL: Do You Feel Confident About the Current State of the Economy?)
“Zencity’s mission is to build trust between local governments and the communities that they serve. Our new partnership with StepStone will enable us to set the standard for this important mission through investment in technology, people, and most of all – in our partners,” Zencity CEO Eyal Feder-Levy said in the statement. “AI-powered capabilities, like the one we’re launching today, put best-in-class technology in the hands of local government leaders that will accelerate that goal, by lowering barriers to seeking community input, and more easily making sense of data we will drive outcomes for the communities that our government partners serve.”
But, How?
The statement didn’t explain how the company plans to actually engage people in local governance, other than describing various user experiences and other creative endeavors that would presumably now be completed by AI instead of a human. (TAKE A POLL: Is the Government Doing Enough to Address Unemployment?)
Building public trust is more than just new ways to get jobs done. Trust in local governments has dropped 49 points in 1968. In recent years, many put this down to the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic’s mismanagement on a local level throughout many counties across the U.S. But there are other issues …
“In contrast to the private sector, local governments are still struggling to attract and retain skilled employees in the post-pandemic era. Local government jobs outside of education are hovering almost 2 percent below figures reported in March 2020,” a report stated in mid-2024.
Inspired Leadership
“Local governments play a key role in driving positive change and improving quality of life in their communities. From ensuring public safety to managing infrastructure to delivering essential services, local governments and their leaders are responsible for acting as responsible stewards of the resources afforded to them—and in the United States, those resources amount to approximately $2 trillion taxpayer dollars per year,” the same report noted. “Public trust in this stewardship depends heavily on the ability to deploy and administer these funds wisely, and to report on the spending of them clearly. To ensure this, a strong and competent workforce led by inspired public sector leaders is critical.”
Similarly, transparency of how these funds and all other aspects of politics occurs can help foster a sense of trust within any community.
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