1st South Bend, Ind.
Taking the lead in the 75,000 – 124,999 population category is South Bend, Ind. Most notably, this city was recognized for its IT investments and innovative practices in artificial intelligence (AI) governance and cybersecurity.
South Bend is investing in IT to modernize services for constituents. An increased budget for 2024 enabled teambuilding, more cybersecurity spending and support for the city’s new Digital Services team, among other things. The team was created in January 2024 to improve the user experience and take the lead on website governance, design and accessibility standards, and data collection practices. The team also provides training for public information professionals, city planners, project members and other city staff that may work with resident-facing digital tools.
In the AI space, the city has taken several noteworthy actions to better leverage this technology. For one, city officials are involved in AI-related work with the GovAI Coalition, the MetroLab Network and the National League of Cities AI Advisory Committee. Beyond that, the city has developed generative AI policies for staff use and customized training for staff on how to use generative AI in alignment with the city’s policies. Notably, the city has made these resources public for the benefit of information-sharing with other localities…