This study investigates how citizens perceive and discuss artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled public services, focusing on “Julia,” the AI-based chatbot launched by the Municipality of Rome. It examines online discussions, revealing sociotechnical tensions and discussing their implications for institutional legitimacy and public value in the context of local government digital transformation (DT).
The study adopts a qualitative approach based on the analysis of 610 citizen comments posted across the social media platforms of the Municipality of Rome and the Mayor. A thematic analysis was conducted to identify recurring patterns in how citizens interpret and evaluate the chatbot's introduction. An engagement analysis contextualized public interactions with chatbot-related posts across platforms.
The findings show that citizens interpret the chatbot not merely as a technological tool but as a symbolic representation of the public entity. Four main thematic dimensions emerged: (1) trust and mistrust toward institutions, (2) digital innovation and AI, (3) evaluation of public services and urban management and (4) political, economic and symbolic evaluations of the administration. These dimensions reflect the sociotechnical tensions associated with AI-enabled public services discussed in the literature.
This study contributes to the literature on local government DT examining how citizens perceive AI-enabled public services and the associated dynamics through a critical dialogic accountability perspective.
