Signing up to speak during a certain public comment period is competitive. How can Austin prevent bots from clogging up the system?
Austin City Council sets aside 30 minutes during council meetings for residents to talk about anything that is not on the agenda.
“I am so glad that our side is finally getting organized here in Austin and we have started using an AI software to sign people up, because now we will be able to take all the spots going forward," Land said, referring to the number of spots available during public comment.Council members wondered if the call was AI-generated, raising questions about how the city can ensure real people are getting a chance to have their voices heard.
Hollingsworth said the focus on whether the call was AI-generated is taking away from"the real scandal," which is"using automation to rig the system and box people out from participating in one of the few opportunities to speak directly to council." "Going about these things methodically is very important," said Greenberg, an assistant dean for state and local government engagement at UT’s LBJ School."Will you be 100% ever , probably not. But are you 100% with humans right now? No."So what’s a city like Austin to do to prevent bots from clogging up the public comment system?
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