Toronto really needs to upgrade its tech — and it’s bad at doing that. The city government knows it has to become more up to date with things like recreation programs — but finally doing it right might require more caution. Opinion by GraphicMatt
The number of active businesses registered to lobby at Toronto city hall this month on subjects related to technology.The last few years have seen a relentless volley of high-pressure lobbying from tech companies targeting Mayor John Tory, council members, and senior Toronto bureaucrats. This month, the city’sCompanies hawking their wares include major players like Google, Amazon and Canada’s major telcos, plus dozens of smaller companies supported by venture capitalists.
So it’s fair to say there’s some room for improvement. But the city’s track record with such upgrades is worrisome. Anfound the city had spent about $183 million over the previous five-year period on software licences, maintenance and support for more than 3,300 programs. They’re good at spending money on tech. They’re less good at using that tech to deliver better outcomes.
As city hall struggles with technology, the stakes are getting higher. There are an increasing number of companies offering artificial intelligence as a way to solve local issues — and some of their ideas come with major ethical and privacy concerns. Recent lobbying activity at city hall has come from companies touting AI’s ability to detect potholes, answer complaints to the 311 line, remotely monitor patients in long-term-care facilities, and recognize faces in recorded video.
As part of that, they’ve promised a public registry of city initiatives that use AI will launch before the end of this year. Let’s hold them to it.