Leo Hanna, executive vice president UK at TechnologyOne, looks at what the UK can learn from Australia when it comes to using AI to identify potholes.

Potholes are a national obsession in the UK and with good reason. Anyone who has suffered damage to a car or bike after hitting a pothole has a long, and bitter memory of the cost and inconvenience.

And the data shows more people are having that unhappy experience.

The RAC recently reported pothole-related breakdowns jumped by a fifth in the final quarter of 2024, while the AA found total pothole damage to vehicles rose to £579m in 2024, compared to £474m in 2023 – a rise of 22%.

So, how do local councils – already faced with a funding crunch -- address an issue that is one of the biggest bugbears for their constituents?

Repairing Britain’s roads is a sizeable undertaking, but, looking further afield to Australia could provide innovative approaches to smoothing out this problem. Councils in Australia are facing many of the same challenges as those in the UK – from funding cuts, increasing costs and greater demands on services.

Improving infrastructure through bin lorries

A few weeks ago, the UK Prime Minister revealed that artificial intelligence could be deployed in a bid to help improve Britain's persistent and rising pothole problem, as part of the Government’s ‘AI Opportunities Action Plan’. It was the first time any UK government has mentioned that AI technologies could be used to 'spot potholes quicker.'

Yet this is something local authorities have already successfully rolled out in Australia. Shoalhaven Council located in New South Wales is a prime example of a local authority leveraging innovative solutions to repair potholes quickly and cost effectively. Understanding that bin lorries regularly travel the length and breadth of the community, Shoalhaven Council have equipped these vehicles with inexpensive IP video cameras to capture images of pavements and surrounding areas.

The data is analysed by AI to then triage the defects and raise a work order in the council’s asset management solution. This innovative approach has seen a staggering 40% reduction in customer calls and double the number of potholes being rectified, allowing the council to better identify the scale of the problem and work on preventative measures before the damage to road infrastructure becomes even more acute.

This automatic triage is crucial to delivering savings. Work crews can be assigned to fix potholes likely to deteriorate most quickly, or be most expensive to fix if they deteriorate further.

In the UK, as councils look to find ways to do more with less, the potential offered by AI is huge. Councils are only just starting to leverage the power of AI to explore services such as chatbots and virtual assistants to provide tailored, natural language answers to frequently asked questions on subjects as varied as waste management, street lighting and anti-social behaviour. This can reduce manhours, lighten workloads and enable staff to dedicate more time and resources needed to the responsibilities that truly make a difference in the lives of their local communities.

The ability to process and analyse large volumes of data to extract meaningful insights can help them make informed decisions about resource allocation, urban planning, public safety and more.

Rethinking digital infrastructure can help repair our physical infrastructure

While the possibilities for local authorities to use AI are endless, it is critical that we get the basics right first. Digital transformation has been slow within the sector and the existing technology platforms in local government need to be brought up to date to provide a platform upon which to implement AI solutions. For example, many councils store their data in separate, disconnected departmental legacy systems. Real time, aggregated data becomes impossible in this scenario, and AI is only as good as the data that powers it.

In a world where councils face mounting pressures to deliver more with fewer resources, embracing digital transformation is not just an option—it’s a necessity. The challenges ahead demand bold leadership in councils who are willing to challenge the status quo and invest in systems that empower their organisations to thrive. While Government initiatives to integrate AI into public service delivery signal progress, UK councils must take on the initiative to learn from global success stories and act decisively. By investing in the right systems now, councils can unlock the transformative power of AI to deliver cost efficiencies, improve services, and ultimately enhance the quality of life for residents.