Parks and Recreation departments across the country are stretched thin. Between staffing shortages, overflowing inboxes and seasonal program execution, teams are constantly juggling more than humanly possible. The good news is that artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just for Silicon Valley—nor does it have to be feared as a tool that will take jobs from Parks and Rec professionals. It can actually be a secret weapon for your department. That said, as cities begin to create their own guidelines for responsible AI use (see San Francisco’s Generative AI Guidelines here), it’s important to make sure any experimentation aligns with your local policies. Many municipalities are currently shaping what that looks like for P&R departments, so now is a great time to get ahead of the curve and start learning and testing.
Keep reading for five real ideas for how AI can lighten the load that we’ve heard directly from P&R staff in the US.
1. ✍️ Generate New Program Descriptions
Writing compelling, informative program descriptions takes time. And when you’re building out a 50-page seasonal activity guide, that time adds up. AI tools can help generate descriptions based on just a few bullet points—like age group, activity type and dates—and even tailor the tone to match your department’s voice. If you’ve already done the work, AI can help to top edit descriptions for punctuation, flow and consistency.
💡 Bonus: Use AI to brainstorm fun names for new classes to engage potential participants.
2. 📬 Draft Emails to Unhappy Constituents
We’ve all been there. Responding to a less-than-polite email with complaints takes time and patience. It could be a problem with a volleyball net that isn't regulation height, or someone is using the barbecue location that they thought they reserved for themselves. AI can help you quickly draft professional, empathetic messages that acknowledge concerns, provide facts and keep the tone calm and neutral. If you want to dip your toes in, you can take the time to craft a careful response, but ask AI to review the email for tone to make sure the interaction doesn’t unintentionally escalate.
💡 Bonus: Use AI to create templates for common issues, saving time when those repeat complaints roll in.
3. 📊 Make Public Feedback More Usable and Less Personal
It’s not just rare to have the time to sit and read public reviews and complaints, but it’s almost always emotionally tolling. AI tools can help synthesize written or spoken feedback into digestible insights—identifying common themes, surfacing priorities and toning down emotionally-charged language so you can focus on what matters most—the data received and actionable next steps to support your community.
4. 🧠 Supercharge Your Front Desk (Without Hiring More Staff)
How many times in a day do you answer the same question? AI-powered chatbots can answer frequently asked questions online—think: facility hours, field availability or how to register for summer programming—freeing up your staff to handle more complex tasks. Think of it like giving your front desk an extra teammate who never takes PTO. That said, we understand not every department can implement this tech right away. As more govtech companies are building chatbot integrations designed for city infrastructure, though, it’s worth keeping an eye out for future integration!
💡 Bonus: Even if you can’t use a chatbot yet, AI can help write answers to common questions you can plug into your websites or flyers.
5. 🧹 Get Creative with Generative Images
Your job title might not have “designer” in it, but most Parks and Rec departments have some folks dabbling in Canva for scrappy, much-needed graphics. Generative AI tools can create visuals from text prompts, which can be a great hack for building consistent, low-lift promotional assets when your design team (or you) are underwater. You can even include your logo and P&R brand colors to ensure visual consistency across assets. From whimsical camp flyers to quick social graphics, AI-generated images can spark ideas or help fill in the gaps when those last minute events pop up.
💡 Tip: Make sure to check your municipality’s guidelines for AI, as sometimes it’s required to note for the public when an image is created using AI.
👀 Did you know that all of the images in this post are AI-generated? (Don’t worry, though. All the words were still written by a human😉.) Think of image -generating AI tools as your creative assistant–crafting visuals that fit your brand, event or programming for any channel or platform.
The Bottom Line
AI, if introduced and used intentionally, isn’t here to replace Parks & Rec staff. It’s here to support them—especially when teams are under-resourced and overworked. At Rec Technologies, we’re building smart tools that make life easier for both departments and the communities they serve. We’re constantly evaluating how AI can best serve our partners and would love your feedback on how you think AI could best help your department!
At Rec, we focus on bringing Parks and Recreation into the modern era. Because less time on admin means more time building programs that bring people together.