IIn the realm of urban water management, the promise of high-tech, AI-driven smart water systems is met with the reality of low adoption rates. We have spent years developing control algorithms for some of the largest urban drainage systems in the world. What did we learn? Simply offering a new tool does not guarantee they will use it. Getting buy-in from operators is critical — learning how to do this is the real knowledge frontier. Managing a sewer is a complex job, and it takes operators years of hands-on experience to learn how to do it. They need to trust that the technology they use is effective, reliable, and safe. Bringing AI into the control room will require working hand in hand in hand with these experts who know these systems inside out. 

We don't just crunch numbers; we talk to the operators. Through in-depth interviews and ethnographically-inspired methods, we dive deep into the workflows of sewer operators, discovering their needs, concerns, and insights. This allows us propose practical algorithms that promote effective human-to-machine collaboration.

Fundamental Advances: Human computer interaction insights, human focused control algorithms, discoveries of mechanisms that enhance trust in civic AI

Impacts: Regional collaboration and more efficient control of massive sewer systems

Communities: Detroit, Southeast Michigan