Artificial intelligence (AI) can sometimes operate in the background of a service without the user even noticing. This is why services provided by the City of Helsinki always disclose when AI is being used and what this means for the user. AI is only used in city services for purposes that have been assessed and approved in advance. Shared guidelines govern AI’s use.
“The better residents understand the role of AI and recognise when it is being used, the more their trust in the city as an organisation will be maintained and strengthened,” said Tomas Lehtinen, the City of Helsinki’s Head of Data and Emerging Technologies.
In the interests of transparency, the City of Helsinki maintains an AI Register describing all the artificial intelligence solutions used by the city, their intended purposes and how their use is monitored.
Transparent and easy-to-understand communication of AI use
City of Helsinki services always disclose their use of AI when it:
- affects the service a customer receives
- affects the handling of a customer’s matter
- appears in content published by the city.
AI can often be of assistance in customer service situations. A City of Helsinki employee can, for example, use AI to translate information so the customer can receive a service in their own language. The use of AI is always disclosed in advance, and permission is sought where necessary. Customers are also free to ask about the use of AI in the service they are using.
In digital services, AI can, for instance, answer questions in a chatbot or assist users to find the information they need. The use of AI is indicated directly within the service’s user interface.
It is important to be able to identify content generated by AI
If the City of Helsinki uses AI to generate content (such as text, images, illustrations, video or audio files) or modify the content significantly, the use of AI is always disclosed transparently.
The City of Helsinki uses two types of labels:
- “AI Generated” indicates that the content has been fully generated by AI. “This content has been generated by AI”
- “AI Modified” indicates that AI has been used to significantly modify the content. “This content has been modified by AI”
“Information published on the City of Helsinki’s websites, communications and documents is always checked by a person before publication,” Lehtinen said.
Use of AI in images and videos is clearly indicated
Helsinki’s visual communications will continue to rely on photographs, illustrations and videos created by creative professionals to portray the capital’s unique character authentically.
If the city uses an AI-generated or significantly AI-modified image for just reason, this will be disclosed in a transparent and easy-to-understand manner. The image will feature a label that identifies the content as AI Generated or AI Modified.
Shared principles steer the City of Helsinki’s use of AI
The use of AI at the city is governed by applicable legislation and the City of Helsinki’s own ethical principles concerning data and artificial intelligence. The EU's AI Act also sets requirements for the transparency, safety and oversight of AI use.
“Our goal is to be pioneer in the ethical use of artificial intelligence. Transparency is the cornerstone of this work,” said Lehtinen.