As part of the 2025 Open Government Week, today, May 23, we share a video featuring an interview with Sergi Sales, Head of the AI-driven Applications business line at IThinkUPC, and Magda Lorente, Head of the Municipal Support and Assistance Office for Digital Services and Data Guidance at the Barcelona Provincial Council.
The conversation revolves around the Innovation Lab, an initiative focused on the responsible application of artificial intelligence in the field of citizen services. Its goal is to explore how this technology can help improve both the perception and efficiency of public services. The lab is part of the Local.IA project, promoted by the Barcelona Provincial Council, which provides resources, training, and methodologies to support the safe, ethical, and efficient deployment of AI in local governments.
Coloq.ia: corporate solution for virtual assistants
One of the main highlights of the video is Coloq.ia, a corporate solution developed by IThinkUPC to facilitate the creation and management of chatbots tailored to the specific needs of local authorities. This tool combines a methodological component, for identifying relevant use cases, and a technical component (the Coloq.ia Factory), for building and iterating on virtual assistants and integrating them with municipal data.
Hands-on workshops to experiment with AI
This interview also serves to announce the upcoming hands-on workshops taking place in June, under this same initiative and linked to the Local.IA project, which will be led by Sergi Sales:
- June 5 (in-person): An inspiring and practical session to identify valuable use cases, train participants in how Coloq.ia works, and experiment with customizing and feeding the necessary information to virtual assistants. The session will take place in a safe and controlled environment.
- June 17 (online): A follow-up session to share results, gather experiences, develop joint conclusions, and define best practices to inform the Local.IA project and the white paper currently in development.
These workshops are aimed at local government technical staff and are open for registration through the Barcelona Provincial Council’s Training Action Bank until June 2.
With this initiative, we open a window to the future to explore, learn, and move forward together in the responsible use of AI in public services.
