Foreigners Office in the city is introducing AI-powered assistants in its operations
In a significant stride towards digital innovation, the city administration of Dormagen has introduced an Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistant in their Foreigners' Office. This development, a collaborative project with a local developer, is set to revolutionise the way procedural checks are carried out, improving service quality and efficiency.
Fritz Bezold, First Deputy Mayor of the city administration, hails this AI initiative as an important step in Dormagen's digitalization strategy and a testament to the city's commitment to being a digital pioneer within municipal administration. Thomas Hegenbarth, Chief Digital Officer of the city administration, notes the project's particular value as it fosters collaboration with a local partner, with the potential for the AI's knowledge to benefit other administrations in North Rhine-Westphalia and beyond.
The AI assistant serves as a supporting tool in the verification process, designed to streamline procedures, relieve employees, and provide citizens with faster service. It is intended to help automatically incorporate the multitude of federal and state ordinances into the decision-making process, a task that involves managing an ordinance database of around 8,000 documents that need regular updates and adaptations.
The AI is designed to make the processing of specific requests and tasks more efficient and legally secure. However, it's important to note that the control and final decision remain with the employees. The Foreigners' Office currently uses the ordinance database of the federal and state governments to access ordinances, administrative regulations, and legal provisions in foreigner law.
The success of this project paves the way for the use of similar technologies in other specialist areas. The total costs for development and hardware amount to approximately 45,500 euros, all of which are covered by 100 percent state funding. This development marks an important milestone in the city administration's digitalization efforts.
The city administration's collaboration with a local developer also underscores their commitment to supporting local businesses and innovation. The AI assistant has been officially put into operation by the city administration, and its potential to benefit other administrations beyond Dormagen highlights its scalability and potential for widespread impact.
