Who are you? Examining the multifaceted innovation roles of municipal governments in AI governance

Our study advances theoretical understanding of the diverse roles municipal governments play in governing the development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies within their administrative boundaries. While existing literature typically frames municipalities as regulators or adopters of AI, it tends to overlook the broader set of responsibilities they assume in shaping AI governance. To address this gap, we map traditional innovation roles onto the multiple functions that municipal governments perform in the emerging domain of AI technologies. Drawing from innovation management theory and AI governance literature examining the agency of governments and public sector organizations in AI governance, we identify core continuities and contextual adaptations in these roles. These insights illustrate how the foundational logic of traditional innovation roles is preserved but recalibrated to reflect the specific demands of AI governance at the municipal level. This theoretical contribution extends innovation role typologies into the field of AI governance, laying the groundwork for future empirical research and policy development.