Renfrewshire AI adviser Millie hailed as model for councils
ICS.AI has pointed to Scotland as an emerging model for local authorities using artificial intelligence in resident services, highlighting Renfrewshire Council's deployment of an AI digital adviser called Millie and the awards the council has recently received.
UK councils face budget pressures and staffing constraints, prompting some authorities to adopt automation and AI in contact centres and digital channels. Scottish councils now provide evidence of what scaled deployments can look like in day-to-day service delivery.
Renfrewshire deployment
Renfrewshire Council launched Millie, an AI-powered digital adviser developed with ICS.AI, in November 2024. Since then, Millie has handled more than 392,000 calls, including nearly 100,000 enquiries arriving outside normal office hours. Around 40% of enquiries have been resolved without human intervention.
The council has seen tangible financial and operational impacts, delivering £110,000 in direct savings while monthly call volumes fell to their lowest level in nearly a decade. ICS.AI reports that the platform's speech and accent recognition achieved over 98% accuracy, including for strong regional accents.
Awards and recognition
Renfrewshire Council has received several service and innovation awards. It won Overall Council of the Year for Service Delivery at the APSE Awards, the Leading Innovation Award at the 2025 COSLA Awards, and the Digital Public Services Award at the Scottish Public Service Awards 2025. These accolades reflect broader digital transformation efforts beyond AI, covering overall improvements in service delivery.
Wider roll-out
ICS.AI works with multiple Scottish councils, including projects in Argyll & Bute, and is in discussions with several others about similar deployments. Adoption across local government raises practical questions around service quality, accessibility, and escalation routes when automation cannot handle an enquiry, as well as how councils measure savings and service outcomes.
Renfrewshire is now undertaking an AI assessment to identify additional use cases across the council. Voice recognition remains a key focus, as effective processing of spoken language - including regional accents - is critical for reliable automation in resident contact.
Councillor and CEO perspectives
Renfrewshire Councillor John Shaw linked the technology to broader service improvement:
"Scotland's councils are showing the value of innovation and technology in delivering better services to residents nationwide. Partnerships like ICS.AI's are helping to unlock this potential even further. AI has the potential to unlock better, fairer, more efficient services across Scotland, and it's encouraging to see our councils at the forefront of this transformation."
ICS.AI Chief Executive Martin Neale highlighted the Renfrewshire project as an example of AI in frontline public services:
"Renfrewshire's recognition demonstrates how innovation, service, and partnership can come together to benefit real people. With Millie, we're showing that AI can be accessible, understanding, and effective - even across diverse Scottish accents and needs. We are in discussion with multiple councils to deliver these improvements to residents nationwide."
Renfrewshire Council continues its AI assessment, while ICS.AI remains in talks with other councils about new deployments.