Unprecedented public scrutiny, misinformation, and disinformation campaigns have resulted in conflict about and, in some cases, the cancellation of everything from municipal public works projects to provincial planning. Increasingly, expectations for public input into and public power over municipal projects and policy are straining local consultation and engagement resources. At its best, obtaining input from the public, stakeholders, and Indigenous communities through open dialogue can create more sustainable decisions. When not done carefully, public outreach can be costly, contentious, and yield a lot of messy and complex data that is difficult to interpret, causing delays and budget overruns. AI can perform deep analysis of feedback and support data-driven decision making. This session will present studies showing how proponents can leverage AI to make sense of massive-scale public feedback data. The presenters will also facilitate discussion of the ethical implications of AI use while aligning to the IAP2 Code of Ethics.
