The City of Traverse City has launched a new “Ask the City” program, designed to offer “a new and innovative way for residents to connect directly with city staff, improve transparency, and increase accessibility to local government.” The new program is officially live as of Thursday afternoon and can be accessed here.

According to a press release, Ask the City will use a mix of artificial intelligence and video responses from city staff to answer questions that residents pose. Simpler questions may yield an instant AI-generated answer culled from the city’s official website. A more complex inquiry, meanwhile, could lead to “a short personalized video response” from a city staffer.

For instance, at launch, there was a video on the site from City Clerk Benjamin Marentette, answering the question “How has recent legislation made absentee voting easier, and what new options are available for returning absentee ballots?” Another video, featuring City Manager Liz Vogel, offers a brief explainer on the Ask the City platform itself. In order to prompt these types of responses, residents can ask their own questions or upvote questions already asked by others.

The city intends the new program as “a direct line to city employees” and “an open forum for dialogue” that will make it “easier than ever” to engage with the City of Traverse City.

“This new platform is an exciting step forward in how we engage with our community,” Vogel said. “It provides a direct, transparent way for residents to ask questions and receive accurate information, while also fostering a personal connection between citizens and the city employees who serve them. We believe this tool will help humanize local government, making it more accessible, responsive, and affirming that being heard is a priority of the city.”

Per Thursday’s announcement, Ask the City is being launched as part of a three-month pilot project. Once those three months are up, the city will evaluate the program's “effectiveness...to determine its continuation based on community interest.”