A Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC) boss has said they are being "open and honest" with staff that the authority's growing use of AI could lead to job losses as they push to find savings.

As the Local Democracy Reporting Service has previously reported the council's troubled finances have been continually in the spotlight with the risk of a need for a significant council tax rise discussed.

The council's corporate transformation programme has been introduced to help address the financial pressures.

Providing an update on it Andrew Felton, the council's director of resources, told the latest meeting of the resources and delivering value scrutiny board the programme had now been "streamlined" to focus on two areas:

• AI programme: Co-ordinating responsible AI adoption, AI-enabled service transformation and the development of measurable efficiencies and service benefits
• Asset realisation: Maximising value from the council's assets through delivery of the approved disposal programme

The director said an investigation into AI and where it could deliver "practical and measurable benefits" had taken place with 80 potential use cases identified.

He said 55 of these had now been recommended for possible implementation over the next four years.

And he added where AI had already been implemented there had already been "positive feedback".

Cllr Paul Whitehouse said: "You are going to find it a little difficult to flush out savings. You'll find productivity improvements.

"To force the savings that requires reorganising, reducing staff, all sorts of things."

Mr Felton replied: "Until we know which of the 55 options we are committed to taking forward, we don't know the specific numbers (on savings).

"They are a number of millions of pounds, we have already got £1.2m – we know it is going to be in excess of that."

Cllr Alan Wigley then asked: "The point (in the report) on mandatory AI training 'which has seen significant staff engagement across the council'.

"Has it all been positive?

"Because one of the biggest challenges is normally around change management."

The director replied: "Lots of people are getting benefits from it (AI).

"But there is some inevitable nervousness.

"Whilst there are some areas AI will impact budgets that are non-staffing related if we are talking efficiencies, inevitably to take money out that is going to be posts we are removing.

"The commitment we have made is to do that in the most appropriate way.

"It maybe we get to the point, because of the level of savings we need to make and the opportunities it is presenting, there may still be changes we need to go through with staff.

"We have been very open and honest about that."

The meeting was held at the Civic Suite on October 20.