Ventspils City Municipality becomes the first municipality to join MILA as an associated partner

Ventspils City Municipality becomes the first municipality to join MILA as an associated partner

The first Latvian municipality – the municipality of Ventspils – has joined the Latvian Artificial Intelligence Association (MILA), gaining the status of an associated organization or an associated partner. The decision to grant the status was unanimously adopted by the MILA board.

The accession of the Ventspils City Municipality marks an important step towards closer cooperation between the artificial intelligence industry and the public sector, promoting the introduction of innovation and the practical use of data and artificial intelligence solutions in municipal work.

“We are pleased that Ventspils has become the first Latvian municipality to join MILA as an associate partner. This confirms the municipality’s interest in innovation and readiness to actively participate in the development of the artificial intelligence ecosystem in Latvia,” says Ēvalds Urtāns, Chairman of the Board of the Latvian Artificial Intelligence Association.

The status of an associated partner opens up opportunities for closer cooperation between the municipality and the members of MILA, including:

identify and develop the possibilities of using artificial intelligence in municipal services and processes;
promote the exchange of experience between the public sector, businesses and academia;
organise joint seminars, discussions and educational events;
create pilot projects and test new solutions in the areas of urban environment, mobility, energy efficiency and customer service;
strengthen the digital skills and understanding of the possibilities of artificial intelligence among residents and municipal employees;
promote the introduction of solutions developed by Latvian companies in the public sector.

The accession of the Ventspils City Municipality to MILA confirms the growing interest in the use of artificial intelligence in public administration and the need to establish closer cooperation between municipalities, companies and scientific institutions.

MILA is confident that this cooperation will serve as a good example for other Latvian municipalities, promoting the development of modern, data-driven and citizen-oriented public services.