The Brno-Střed Municipal District is one of the first offices in the Czech Republic to introduce artificial intelligence to help residents manage their affairs and reduce the administrative burden on the office. This service is called AIKON and works as a chatbot integrated into the district’s website.
Users can ask the virtual assistant questions about municipal matters. The technology provides answers in ten languages with no requirement for residents to visit the office, make a phone call or contact staff in writing. AIKON has access to over 10 million characters of information from almost 1,000 pages of the Brno City Hall website. It regularly revises its database to ensure that all information is up to date.
“The newly launched chatbot is available 24 hours a day and provides important contact information and immediate advice on a variety of issues,” said Zdeněk Machů (ANO), 4th Deputy Mayor of Brno-Střed, responsible for information technology. “For example, how to apply for a council flat, pay a dog licence fee, get a birth certificate and much more.”
Brno’s most populous central district is currently testing the service. In the first phase, office staff will monitor responses, verify their accuracy and refine the chatbot’s phrasing. After the trial period, the service will become a standard feature on the district’s website. The municipality paid the Creative City agency just under CZK 60,000 to implement the service, with monthly operating costs of around CZK 3,000.
The chatbot is not the only AI-based technology being explored by the municipality. “We are also testing AI in the management of residential buildings,” added Machů. “Tenants can report repair requests to a voice assistant, which replaces the traditional answering machine. In the future, we would like to integrate AI into other administrative processes, such as drafting meeting minutes, conducting analyses, or proofreading official documents.”
