The City of Pacifica has been awarded the prestigious Innovation Award from the Municipal Information Systems Association of California (MISAC)for its groundbreaking Artificial Intelligence (AI) “Virtual Assistant” search tool, Rose AI. This cutting-edge technology has transformed public access to City information, setting a new benchmark for local government services.
Rose AI, powered by Polimorphic, is one of the first implementations of its kind in California and the first among the cities of San Mateo County. This digital concierge streamlines the public search for information about city services, programs, regulations and more, by leveraging advanced AI technology to understand and process natural language queries.
“We are very excited to receive this statewide recognition,” said Yulia Carter, Assistant City Manager of Pacifica. “Rose AI not only represents our commitment to innovation and excellence, enhancing service delivery, streamlining processes, increasing productivity and improving public access to essential yet often complex information. It’s a game-changer in how our residents access information, making city services more accessible, transparent and efficient and positioning Pacifica as a smarter and more responsive city.”
Key features of Rose AI that led to this award include:
- Natural Language Processing: Designed to understand and respond to queries in everyday language, making City information more accessible to all community members regardless of language proficiency.
- Comprehensive Knowledge Base: Provides responses drawn exclusively from Pacifica’s official website, ensuring accurate, reliable and current information.
- Enhanced User Experience: Delivers quick and accurate responses, reducing the need for additional contact with city staff.
- Operational Efficiency: Manages a significant volume of resident inquiries, allowing staff to focus on higher-priority tasks.
Since its launch in May 2024, Rose AI has significantly improved public access to City information. An analysis of over 800 user interactions reveals a wide range of inquiries, including general City information, City Council activities, strategic planning initiatives, property issues and much more. This data also provides valuable insights for the continuous improvement of the platform.
Pacifica was the only City that was recognized in the Innovation Award category this year recognizing outstanding efforts and innovative solutions by government agencies.
Parth Shah, CEO of Polimorphic, extended congratulations to the City of Pacifica on this achievement: “Congratulations to the incredible team at Pacifica for this well-deserved recognition. Polimorphic is proud to be part of the City’s journey to excellence in innovative communication and service for residents while improving efficiencies that manage costs for the City. I’m excited about what we are working on next for the City and look forward to continuing our partnership to set new standards in local government customer service.”
Looking ahead, the City of Pacifica plans to further enhance Rose AI’s capabilities, exploring Voice activation, adding attachment capability and workflow integrations.
“This award motivates us to keep pushing the limits of public service through innovative technology,” added Carter. “We’re excited to explore future enhancements to Rose AI that will strengthen the connection between the City and our residents, showing that with innovation and heartfelt service, there are no limits to what we can achieve together.”
For more information about Rose AI or to experience it firsthand, visit the City of Pacifica’s website.