Artificial Intelligence (AI) bots are drafted to answer tax and services questions in two local governments.
The trials at South Norfolk Council and Broadland District Council were estimated to cost £149,000 over a year.
The software is used online and over the phone and provides automatic responses to “daily inquiries” starting in September.
However, some councillors warned that the technology could be “more frustrating” for people who want to talk to humans.
At a cabinet meeting of South Norfolk Council, officers said the use of AI agents was “no longer an option.”
Instead, they said it was essential to make the service more efficient.
The cost of operating the technology is shared between the two authorities and uses it to answer questions such as how to pay Congressional taxes.
However, it was not planned to be used for more personalized questions, such as finding caller's outstanding tax balances.
The AI Bot is the first contact for all callers to the Council.
Conservative councillor Kim Karsuk said, “I wonder if there's a risk that some customers will be even more irritated by virtual agents.
“I don't think we all had to call the company and talk to the computer, and we didn't enjoy the experience as if we were talking to a real person.”
Council officials wanted AI agents to stop people trolling websites for information.
