Chattanooga Tests AI Dialogue for Civic Priorities

The city used an AI-driven tool to gather resident input on parks and transportation, drawing nearly 2,000 submissions.

Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Civic Engagement

Chattanooga Tests AI Dialogue for Civic Priorities

Live Poll

Would you trust local government more if it used AI to gather residents' views?

Chattanooga conducted an AI-driven civic engagement process on public priorities for parks and transportation, producing nearly 2,000 qualitative submissions totaling roughly 350,000 words. The process was run in partnership with Change.org and the Google Jigsaw technology incubator initiative.

Why it matters

Mayor Tim Kelly said earlier engagement exercises let public policy be dictated by a few loud voices at city council chambers, and the AI approach is meant to broaden who is heard. For Chattanooga residents, the process could shape how park and transportation priorities are set.

Participant optimism that residents can talk through problems together rose from about 60% to 82.6% after the process, based on nearly 2,000 qualitative submissions. How that sentiment shift affects actual city decisions has not been reported.

The players

Tim Kelly

Tim Kelly is the mayor of Chattanooga, elected in 2021 as an independent representative not attached to any political party.

Change.org

Change.org is an online petition platform that partnered with Chattanooga on the civic engagement process.

Google Jigsaw

Google Jigsaw is a technology incubator initiative that partnered with Chattanooga on the civic engagement process.

The details

The AI tool asked broad questions about public priorities and generated follow-up prompts based on individual responses. Participants were then invited to virtual civic forums to validate the input they had provided.

2021: Tim Kelly was elected mayor as an independent, not attached to any political party.
Q3 2026: The civic engagement process was conducted.

Civic Technology Context

Chattanooga's civic AI effort sits atop its municipally owned network of 9,000 miles of fibre, which the city already uses for its broader tech estate. The dialogue process extends that digital infrastructure into direct resident input on parks and transportation.

Residents who took part helped shape the city's priorities on parks and transportation through the AI dialogue. Future park and transit decisions may reflect the input gathered in this process.

The takeaway

Chattanooga's experiment shows AI dialogue tools can widen participation beyond the most vocal residents. Whether that broader input changes actual outcomes will be the real test.