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Public sector AI specialist ICS.AI has unveiled the launch of a new generative AI phone assistant at Derby City Council. This is now the 2nd generation of Derby Councils AI front office solution ‘Darcie’, part of a £7m GenAI transformation project which the council announced last year (See - Derby City Council chooses ICS.AI for £7m GenAI project).
The new AI-driven system allows residents to access council services 24/7 through natural, human-like phone conversations and in multiple languages. It offers a single, scalable platform that handles complex enquiries across services such as council tax, bin collections, adult social care, and more. Early results have been promising, with an 84% drop in transferred calls during peak periods and 57% of all queries managed by the AI without human intervention.
Darcie’s GenAI core enables context-aware dialogue and delivers consistent, real-time responses across phone and web. Importantly, the system supports ten of Derby’s most spoken community languages – including Urdu, Polish, Punjabi, and Arabic – ensuring inclusivity for residents with limited digital access or language barriers. The technology also features seamless handover to human agents when required, reinforcing Derby’s commitment to accessibility and accountability.
The council previously estimated its ‘strategic technological leap’ could save it £12.25m annually, highlighting the growing appeal of AI to cash-strapped local authorities. Its AI-powered ‘Front Door’ is being lauded as a model for ethical, people-centred AI integration in local government, with the AI implementation at Derby City Council recently recognised in Parliament by Luke Murphy MP, highlighting the role it is playing in digital public service reform.
This latest announcement from ICS.AI follows a two year, £1m deal with Hillingdon Council (one of London’s 32 borough councils) to implement an AI-powered customer service platform, integrating its local government-focused SMART: Customer Service Copilot – based on Microsoft AI technology – with the council’s existing telephony system (to provide a voice-based conversational interface), and with its public website (See - Hillingdon Council selects ICS.AI for new AI customer services platform).
Posted by: Simon Baxter at 09:14