The City Council of Indianapolis convened on July 29, 2025, to discuss the ongoing implementation of the Copilot artificial intelligence system within city operations. The meeting highlighted the importance of user support and training in ensuring successful AI adoption among city employees.

A key focus of the discussion was the need for comprehensive support systems to help employees feel confident in using Copilot. The speaker emphasized that without adequate support, the return on investment in AI technology could be low, potentially leading to failed adoption. The final training session for the current cohort is scheduled for this Friday, with plans to begin enterprise deployment in late August. A second cohort may start in September, depending on readiness.

The meeting also addressed the importance of prompt engineering, which involves creating effective prompts for the AI to enhance its utility. Participants in the training sessions have been encouraged to share their experiences and document their learning, which is crucial for maximizing the benefits of Copilot.

A pre-participation survey is being conducted to gauge employee readiness and sentiment towards Copilot. Initial feedback indicates a mixed level of preparedness among employees, despite having completed generative AI training. While many believe Copilot will be beneficial, there are still gaps in understanding its application.

The speaker shared preliminary survey results from the training sessions, noting that meeting management received high ratings for effectiveness. However, task management feedback was more varied, suggesting a need for further guidance on using Copilot for this purpose. The analysis of summary and analysis tasks also showed promising results, indicating that some employees are finding value in these features.

Overall, the meeting underscored the city's commitment to leveraging AI technology while recognizing the challenges of user adoption. The next steps will involve refining training approaches and gathering more data to assess the effectiveness of Copilot in enhancing city operations.