The City of Chicago is redesigning its digital strategy to help deliver more accessible city services. Plans are underway to provide more efficient IT systems, enable transparency through broader access to data, and maintain protections for residents’ privacy and security.
The City’s Department of Assets, Information, and Services (AIS) will:
- lower the cost and burden of receiving city services and benefits;
- modernize legacy systems, processes, and services for users;
- make public services accessible digitally and easier to use;
- improve data integrity to enable more robust, transparent, and accessible use of data; and
- reduce the IT burden on City departments, allowing them to spend more of their resources on delivering services.
As part of this process, Nick Lucius has been named as the city’s chief technology officer (CTO), and Kurt Peterson as chief information officer (CIO). Lucius will be responsible for developing policy and ensuring the City’s technology strategy implements the goals of equity and better service delivery. Peterson will manage the Bureau of Innovation and Technology at AIS (AIS IT) and work towards implementing the technology and building tools that enable collaboration between departments.
“As we saw with initiatives like Chicago Connected, technology – when properly wielded – has the tremendous power to uplift residents in all of our communities,” said Mayor Lori Lightfoot. “By providing equitable access to better technological resources, we can empower our residents – giving them the tools they need to access opportunities, resources, and so much more. This new technology approach will help ensure that moving forward, City government uses technological resources in a way that benefits all and not just some.”