Acqui Terme introduces AI avatar as municipal advisor

The city of Acqui Terme in the Piedmont region of Italy has introduced Eva Statiella, an artificial intelligence avatar serving as a municipal advisor. Presented by Mayor Danilo Rapetti, Eva is a digital entity designed to assist with social and human affairs, artificial intelligence, and digital transition.

Eva has undergone several months of training and testing, participating in council meetings to listen to discussions, draft documents, and provide opinions on various issues. However, the role is strictly consultative; the AI cannot make political decisions, sign administrative acts, or hold legal status as a council member. The initiative aims to analyze citizen requests and reduce bureaucracy by balancing AI capabilities with human administrative experience, though the experiment has faced criticism from local opposition regarding privacy concerns.