Municipalities & public administration · PROJECT STORY
18 municipalities. A shared AI future.
How the LEADER region Waldviertler Wohlviertel connects AI competence, practical applications in local government and responsible AI use.
- Region
- LEADER region Waldviertler Wohlviertel
- Participation
- 18 municipalities
- Institute contribution
- Corporate Learning · AI training & governance
01 · STARTING POINT
Different starting points. One shared learning pathway.
The 18 municipalities bring different levels of AI experience and digital working practices. The LEADER region Waldviertler Wohlviertel brings these perspectives together in a shared qualification process. Institute for AI designs and supports the learning architecture, from understanding the technology to professionally reviewed applications in everyday municipal work.
02 · LEARNING ARCHITECTURE
Corporate Learning built around real tasks
The first workshop connects AI fundamentals, prompting, source evaluation and data protection with initial practical exercises. Subsequent EU AI Act training adds risk awareness. The second workshop focuses on municipal workflows: documents, transcripts and specific questions become drafts that can be checked. Professional decisions and approvals remain with the responsible people.
03 · PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
Turning tasks into workflows that can be reviewed.
These examples reflect the documented workshop stage. Tests and demonstrations do not imply a production rollout; a potential benefit is not a measured saving.
Developed as a use case
From transcript to meeting minutes
- Task
- Meeting discussions need a traceable record.
- AI application
- Clean up a transcript, structure it by agenda and extract tasks, using earlier minutes as a format reference.
- Practical benefit
- A structured draft for professional review, without inventing decisions or deadlines.
- Documented stage
- The workflow was developed and explained in the workshops; routine production use is not documented.
Practically tested in the workshop
From council decision to website and Cities
- Task
- A council decision needs clear explanations for different channels.
- AI application
- A decision document was used to create accessible website copy and then a Cities post.
- Practical benefit
- Several communication drafts based on one reliable source.
- Documented stage
- Created in the second workshop; no claim is made that the drafts were publicly published.
Demonstrated in the workshop
A Microsoft Copilot agent for minutes
- Task
- Recurring minutes require consistent instructions.
- AI application
- An example agent was built together, with factual language, source grounding, uncertainty markers and defined output formats.
- Practical benefit
- Reusable instructions instead of writing a new prompt each time.
- Documented stage
- Demonstrated and built collaboratively in the workshop; no verified production rollout.
Demonstrated in the workshop
Comparing documents and contract versions
- Task
- Changes in lengthy documents can be difficult to track.
- AI application
- Two contract versions were compared for changed, removed and added passages.
- Practical benefit
- A traceable basis for human review, without automated legal judgement.
- Documented stage
- Practically demonstrated in the second workshop.
Developed as a use case
Excel and data analysis
- Task
- Recurring lists and spreadsheets need to be compared and combined.
- AI application
- Spreadsheet comparisons, new records, change markers and analyses were discussed as working tasks.
- Practical benefit
- An approach to structured data review; outputs and calculations need checking.
- Documented stage
- Developed and discussed as a use case; a completed implementation is not documented.
Practically tested in the workshop
Building plans and sewer charges
- Task
- Existing administrative systems require reliable area measurements from plans.
- AI application
- The test focused on extracting plan data, asking clarifying questions and checking areas before preparing calculations.
- Practical benefit
- Reviewed preparation for the existing system rather than an automated assessment notice.
- Documented stage
- Tested on a plan in the workshop; professional and legal review remains necessary.
Practically tested in the workshop
Personnel administration and classification
- Task
- Classification questions require complete context and the correct legal basis.
- AI application
- An example was worked through together, focusing on missing information and necessary follow-up questions.
- Practical benefit
- Structured preparation for responsible professionals, without automated personnel decisions.
- Documented stage
- Worked through as an example in the second workshop; no personal records or individual outcomes are published.
Envisaged for further implementation
Citizen services and a municipal knowledge base
- Task
- Recurring questions need current, reliable information.
- AI application
- A municipal knowledge base with reviewed sources, answers and clear maintenance responsibilities was proposed as a next step.
- Practical benefit
- A shared basis for consistent information, subject to verified sources and access controls.
- Documented stage
- Envisaged for further implementation; no completed citizen chatbot is documented.
04 · GOVERNANCE
Shared AI guidelines: from experimentation to clear responsibilities
Developing shared AI guidelines is a central next step in the project. The workshops identify concrete questions: Which tools should be approved? How should public, internal and confidential information be distinguished? Who owns an application, reviews its outputs and approves their use? How should applications, agents, prompts and knowledge sources be documented and maintained? These working questions connect data protection, governance and the EU AI Act; they are not rules that have already been adopted.
05 · KNOWLEDGE SHARING
Sharing knowledge while retaining responsibility
A regional municipal knowledge space is envisaged as a further development. Reviewed prompts, meeting templates, checklists and documented use cases could support several municipalities. Reliable sources, clear responsibility for updates and local review remain essential. An approach developed in one municipality can become a learning resource for others rather than an unchecked standard answer.
06 · SOURCES
Press & Media Coverage
The media reports document the project context. The individual stages of the use cases are based on the workshop materials.
- Land Niederösterreich · KI-Strategie des Landes NÖ kommt in den Gemeinden an (original source, new tab)
- LEADER Waldviertler WohlviertelKI-Strategie des Landes Niederösterreich kommt in den Gemeinden an (original source, new tab)
- oe24 · Waldviertel: KI-Revolution im Gemeindeamt (original source, new tab)
- MeinBezirk · Niederösterreich · Künstliche Intelligenz in Ämtern, so werden Gemeinden geschult (original source, new tab)
- MeinBezirk · Horn · 18 Gemeinden wollen Verwaltung erleichtern (original source, new tab)
- Regionews · Niederösterreich: KI-Strategie des Landes NÖ kommt in den Gemeinden an (original source, new tab)
FROM PRACTICE TO YOUR OWN LEARNING PATHWAY
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