Philadelphia is launching an AI task force to guide city workers' use
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The Parker administration is forming a task force that will develop policies guiding city workers on how they can use AI.
The big picture: With Congress stalled on comprehensive AI legislation, states and cities are making their own rules for AI in an effort to boost government efficiency and improve public services, Axios' Ashley Gold reports.
- Pennsylvania was the first state to deploy a pilot with ChatGPT Enterprise for employee use last January. More than a dozen Pennsylvania agencies have now tested AI for draft communications, summarizing public feedback and analyzing permitting data.
Driving the news: Philadelphia aims to have its AI committee in place by late winter or early spring, Kristin Bray, Mayor Cherelle Parker's chief legal counsel, told lawmakers during a Wednesday hearing.
- The working group will include the chief administrative officer and members from several departments, such as law and information technology, Bray said.
- City lawmakers told the administration they wanted to see some residents with relevant expertise included on the task force, so the public has a voice in shaping the city's AI policies.
The city will also provide some initial AI guidance and training to employees in the coming weeks.
Zoom in: Philly officials are already using several AI-backed software programs, the administration acknowledged Wednesday.
- But the use is limited, such as helping to flag potential cybersecurity threats or generating text transcripts, said Melissa Scott, the city's chief information officer.
Friction point: Lawmakers expressed concern about the potential for AI to be used in law enforcement.
- But Scott said she was "unaware" of any instances of the police department — which didn't immediately respond to Axios' request for comment — deploying the technology against residents.
What they're saying: Councilmember Rue Landau, who led the hearing, said she hopes to prevent the "harms of the past" from being repeated with AI.
- Councilmember Jim Harrity said that, like many residents, he's frightened by AI's capabilities and wants to ensure Philadelphians don't have to "give up [their] freedoms for somebody else's idea of safety."
The bottom line: The administration will consider all those concerns when developing the city's policies, Bray said.
- "Our aim is not to slow progress, but to guide it," she said. "AI is not a replacement for our people."