AI has entered the room - or at least, it's entered the sector. In this episode, Becky Hirst and co-host Dan Ferguson sit down with Lisa Ippolito to talk about what AI actually means for community engagement, with a particular focus on local government (though there's plenty here for anyone doing this work, anywhere). This is Episode 2 of a six-part series building toward our white paper, Engaged or Obsolete? Each episode adds another voice and another layer - and this one digs into the question underneath all the hype: if AI gives us time back, what do we do with it? The argument we keep landing on is that the future of community engagement is more human, not less - AI as enabler, not replacement. Across the conversation, we get into: What genuine AI capability building looks likeinside a council - moving people from hesitation to confidence through clear policies, practical examples, and strong safeguardsThe four types of AI users in any workforce (non-adopters, novices, explorers, power users) and why each is held back by something different - and why sending a non-adopter a "how to prompt better" webinar lands as an insultWhy some of the most thoughtful people opt outof AI on ethical grounds - and why that's a principled choice, not a skills gapWhat community engagement practitioners are mostanxious about, and whether that anxiety is well-foundedUsing AI to pressure-test survey design beforeyou go to community - generating dummy data to check whether your questions are leading or biasedThe ethics of synthetic audiences: helpful for testing, dangerous when they start replacing real community voices Communities now using AI to engage with us - including the Bondi Junction residents who built their own AI tool to help neighbours have their sayThe authentication problem: how do we know feedback is coming from real residents, and what that means for digital participationWhy we need to slow down even as we're all being pushed to speed up - because trust, once lost, is hard to win backAbout our guest - Lisa Ippolito Lisa Ippolito leads the exploration of AI in local government at Whitehorse City Council - testing tools, building practicalresources, and learning alongside other curious minds. She's developed Whitehorse's AI guidelines for responsible use, run hands-on workshops, built a central resource hub, and created a safe, supportive Collaboration Network where staff can explore, ask questions and share what's working. Right now she's leading a whole-of-organisation AI capability and uplift program, supporting more than 100 leaders through workshops, use-case pilots and tailored training. What excites her most is helping teams move from hesitation to confidence - grounded in clear policies, practical examples and strong safeguards. Beyond Whitehorse, Lisa co-leads the LGPro AI Enablement Special Interest Group and ALGIM's AI, Web and Digital Community of Practice, and she's a regular speaker on responsible AI adoption and practical local government use cases. Her philosophy: learning is most enjoyable when shared - whether you're an AI sceptic, an enthusiast, or somewhere in between. The report Lisa has just launched AI Adoption in Victorian Local Government - Sector Baseline Report 2026 (LGPro + Whitehorse City Council) - the first sector-wide baseline of AI adoption across Victorian local government, drawing on responses from around 2,500 staff across 22 councils. You can find it on the LGPro website. Connect with Lisa LinkedIn is the best place to find her.
