AI in local government: where an assistant already helps in the town hall
Only 17 percent of German citizens have applied for an administrative service online. How the town administration of Viechtach has worked with an AI assistant in Microsoft 365 since May 2026, what it uses it for and how a municipality can start small.
In the town hall an AI assistant already helps where work repeats itself and knowledge is scattered: preparing meetings and council sessions, finding data and information, and drafting letters and memos. The town administration of Viechtach has worked with amaiko at fifteen workstations since May 2026, introduced and supported by PASSION4IT. What this looks like day to day, and what of it fits your administration, is on the page amaiko for municipalities.
This article is for mayors, chief administrative officers and IT leads in towns and municipalities who want to know where AI realistically starts in public administration today.
What you will take away from this article:
- Where public administration stands digitally, according to a current Bitkom survey
- Which tasks the town of Viechtach uses its AI assistant for
- What the rollout means for the in-house IT
- How a municipality can begin with a few workstations
How digital is public administration from the citizens’ point of view?
Many already book the appointment online; very few submit the application online. According to a Bitkom survey of 1,004 people aged 18 and over, published on 13 October 2026, 72 percent have booked an appointment with an authority online, but only 17 percent have applied for an administrative service online. A year earlier it was 13 percent.
The demand is larger than the offer. 57 percent want to handle their contacts with authorities digitally in principle: 23 percent exclusively digitally and 34 percent digitally with support on site when needed. Only 8 percent have used an authority’s chatbot. The figures come from the Bitkom press release (in German).
For a town hall this means the pressure comes from outside, but the work is created inside. Every online application lands with case workers who are short-staffed already.
What does a town administration use an AI assistant for?
For tasks that come up again and again in every town hall. In Viechtach there are five in particular: compiling documents for meetings and council sessions without searching several folders first; building a first version of a presentation from existing material; checking in ongoing projects what has already been communicated and what came of it; finding the place where a figure or a piece of information is recorded instead of asking around the building; and drafting letters and memos that are finalised in-house.
For recurring tasks you explain to amaiko once how you want it done, and from then on it does it that way every time. Monika Häuslmeier, head of tourism, culture and town marketing in Viechtach, puts it like this (translated): “For me, amaiko is now as much a part of everyday office life as talking directly with colleagues and the obligatory espresso!”
A draft remains a draft. Whatever leaves the building is checked and owned by the administration itself.
What does an AI assistant mean for the town hall’s IT?
In Viechtach, no additional infrastructure. The town works with Microsoft 365, meaning Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint, and amaiko runs right there. Andreas Kugel, IT system administrator of the town (translated): “amaiko runs where our people already work, in Teams and Microsoft 365. For IT that meant no additional infrastructure and no second login.”
In municipal practice that is not a detail. Hardly anyone opens yet another portal with its own login in daily business, and knowledge that only lives in memos and in the heads of long-serving staff is partly lost with every retirement.
How does a municipality start with AI?
With a few workstations and tasks every administration has. Viechtach did not switch its administration over in one go but step by step. The collaboration with PASSION4IT began with the online host directory, which today lets visitors find and contact all 87 accommodation hosts in the town. Microsoft 365 for the administration and its branch offices came next, and only on that basis the AI assistant.
PASSION4IT handles the in-house rollout together with your IT, supports day-to-day operation when questions come up, and trains staff through the PASSION4IT Academy. We are reachable from the region, not through a hotline. amaiko costs €499 per user per year at list price.
| Route | What the administration gets | What it has to do itself |
|---|---|---|
| Wait for statewide solutions | uniform specialist procedures later | no trial of its own, knowledge stays in people’s heads |
| Free AI tools in the browser | quick results for individuals | its own rules on what may be entered, no connection to its own files |
| amaiko with PASSION4IT | AI assistant in Microsoft 365, rollout and support from the region, training through the Academy | choosing the first workstations and tasks, €499 per user per year |
Can we talk to an administration that already does this?
Yes. The first mayor of Viechtach, Hans Greil, explicitly offers it (translated): “Fifteen workstations in our town administration work with amaiko, and we are still in the middle of the trial. If another administration wants to know how it feels in everyday work, they can call us.” The town is taking its time to decide on further expansion.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Since when has the town of Viechtach used an AI assistant?
Since May 2026, at fifteen workstations in the town administration. The trial is ongoing.
Does a municipality need Microsoft 365 for this?
In Viechtach amaiko runs in Microsoft 365, meaning Outlook, Teams, OneDrive and SharePoint. Whether that fits your environment is something we clarify in the first conversation.
What does amaiko cost for a municipality?
The list price is €499 per user per year. You decide how many workstations you start with.
Who trains the staff?
PASSION4IT through the Academy, in short online units without classroom sessions.
Who do I talk to about getting started?
Janine Rothweiler from amaiko, 30 minutes via Microsoft Teams. You book the appointment directly on the page amaiko for municipalities.