AI to help municipal officials sift through social media noise

As communities grow and technology advances, planners of "smart cities" have turned to social media as an additional way of garnering residents' feedback. However, the sheer volume of content from those platforms can be a challenge for municipal officials looking for meaningful dialogue. Researchers at the University of Calgary's Schulich School of Engineering are hoping to remove that barrier with the help of artificial intelligence and machine learning. Collecting data from X (formerly Twitter) and building analysis models and visual datasets with the help of AI, Schulich master's student Mitra Mirshafiee is looking to help decision-makers understand the emotions and context of each post. Along with Dr. Ann Barcomb , PhD, and Dr. Benjamin Tan , PhD, Mirshafiee has been working through posts about The City of Calgary's infrastructure and planning to identify issues and differences in opinion on what's important. "What our work represents is that it's not enough to just monitor how the physical facilities are doing," she says. "The city should also take into account what people are concerned about, especially when it comes to long-term planning." A variety of opinions.