At the forum “Local Government – Shaper of the Digital Society,” experts focused on various digital solutions in local governments and the potential of artificial intelligence, sharing their experiences on how technology can make local government operations more efficient. It was emphasized that it is essential for Latvian local governments to be able to protect their information technology infrastructure and ensure the uninterrupted provision of services to residents; therefore, the forum also featured an expert discussion dedicated to the cybersecurity of local government IT systems.
“The shortage of qualified specialists in local governments results in low administrative capacity, as such specialists are needed not only for making appropriate decisions but also for performing professional functions. This hinders the development of local governments, and one way to address this problem is to use various artificial intelligence (AI) tools in daily work. By automating certain processes and using AI to analyze data on residents’ needs and similar factors, the delivery of municipal services to residents becomes more efficient. “Local governments are not only able to replace some employees in their daily functions but also improve the quality and speed of decision-making,” noted Edžus Žeiris, director of the IT company “ZZ Dats” and one of the forum’s organizers.
The forum “Local Government – Builder of the Digital Society,” held in Riga on October 7, was opened by Gatis Ozols, Deputy State Secretary for Digital Transformation at the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development (VARAM), Gints Kaminskis, Chairman of the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments; Edžus Žeiris, Director of “ZZ Dats”; and Olga Kotova, Head of the Large Corporate Client Division at Swedbank AS.
Representatives from the Ministry of Defense, the Latvian State Radio and Television Center (LVRTC), “ZZ Dats,” and others participated in the discussions; Specialists from the Ventspils municipality shared their IT security experience, while those from the Madona municipality discussed the results of their digitalization efforts as they move toward digital governance. The forum’s discussions covered current topics in cybersecurity and data security in the digital environment, seeking answers regarding the importance of sharing ICT resources, the creation of secure, sustainable, and effective solutions, incident management, and the use of artificial intelligence tools in municipal work. In the closing segment of the forum, Oskars Pakers, Technical Director of “ZZ Dats,” led a masterclass on the application of artificial intelligence tools, drawing on examples from the daily work of local governments.
The forum “Local Government – Builder of the Digital Society” was organized by “ZZ Dats” and Swedbank in cooperation with LVRTC, with the Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments serving as the information partner.
