The OGP Local Circle on Digital Governance is a vibrant working group uniting passionate reformers from local governments, civil society, academia, and organizations. Together, we strive to advance digital transformation by embracing open government principles. With digital technologies reshaping how policies are designed, services are delivered, and citizens engaged, local governments have an essential opportunity to connect with communities and make a real difference in daily lives.
As we embrace technologies such as artificial intelligence, automated decision-making, and data-driven systems, we unlock opportunities to boost administrative efficiency, improve decision-making, and enhance public service delivery. Yet these innovations also pose significant technical and ethical challenges, including infrastructure, cybersecurity, privacy, bias, transparency, and accountability.
Join this Circle to engage in dialogue and peer exchange on how emerging technologies enhance transparency, accountability, and citizen participation. Together, we champion digital transformation guided by democratic values and human rights principles.
SESSIONS
Open Government in the Age of AI: What’s Next?
Coordination
Government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (Argentina)
Contact: Contact: Tamara Laznik, [email protected]
Government of Bogotá (Colombia)
Contact: Alejandra Rodas Gaiter, [email protected]
May 2026
About
Hosted by Buenos Aires and Bogotá during Open Government Week, this dynamic session delved into how AI is transforming public administration, inviting participants to consider how open government principles can inspire responsible innovation. Practitioners from Greece, Bogotá, and OGP brought compelling stories of digital transformation and ethical governance, sparking a lively debate on AI’s opportunities and challenges in the public sector. Core principles—transparency, accountability, participation, and collaboration—stood out as keys to strengthening democracy and delivering better public services.
More information
Local governments highlighted AI’s potential to strengthen public administration through more transparent, accountable, and citizen-centered governance.
Speakers underscored the critical role of local governments in addressing AI’s social and democratic impacts, while emphasizing the importance of ethical governance, regulation, and cross-sector collaboration to ensure an inclusive, rights-based digital transformation.
Bogotá: AI tools to improve communication with citizens
- These tools are used to manage petitions, complaints, and requests via digital platforms. This increased responsiveness and administrative efficiency.
- AI and open data platforms should be used now to strengthen social oversight, improve data quality over time, and accelerate the pace of more transparent and responsive public administration.
Athens: AI and interoperable digital systems to deliver municipal services
- These services, including automated transcription tools, tailored information services, and more efficient public administration processes, are designed to increase accessibility and citizen participation.
- Described a future vision in which municipalities increasingly rely on interoperable digital systems, AI assistants, and open data repositories, designed to improve accessibility, citizen participation, and more personalized public services, while maintaining safeguards around privacy and human oversight.
OGP: AI should not only be viewed as a technical innovation agenda
- But also as a democratic governance challenge that requires transparency, participation, accountability, and public oversight from the beginning of policy design.
- The future of open government will increasingly depend on how governments govern emerging technologies.
- Alejandra Roda and Juan Esteban Uribe, City of Bogotá (Colombia)
- Panagiotis Paris Charlaftis, Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (Greece)
- Sarah Kennedy, open government and digital governance specialist (OGP)
- Moderation by Jose Grippo, City of Buenos Aires