Councilors want city to get serious about AI

The proliferation of artificial intelligence has encouraged two Albuquerque city councilors to propose creating a group of experts from city departments to develop an AI policy. 

The resolution, sponsored by Councilors Tammy Fiebelkorn and Dan Champine, is expected to be discussed at the City Council’s Oct. 7 meeting. 

Champine said the goal is to ensure the technology is “being used in an appropriate way,” at City Hall. 

“AI is growing and it’s everywhere, you can see it in every aspect of our lives now,” he said. 

Fiebelkorn said the city does not have an AI policy and it is important to have a group of experts that sets guidelines for AI use. She said the group would outline opportunities and threats “from using AI in city business.”

“We’re not the experts,” Fiebelkorn said. “We think that the experts should get together, have these conversations and develop a policy that makes sense to the people of Albuquerque.”

The resolution states that an AI policy would protect against misuse of AI such as “perpetuating discrimination, social inequities, privacy violations, consent issues, security risks, environmental impacts, and deeper concentration of power, among many other potential negative impacts.” 

Fiebelkorn said the working group would look at the ways cities and counties nationwide use different AI technologies. The group would include staff from the following city departments — which Fiebelkorn said are the departments most likely to use AI in some form.  

• Department of Technology and Innovation (DTI)

• City Council Services Department

• Mayor Tim Keller’s Office 

• City Clerk’s Office 

• Albuquerque Police Department’s Real Time Crime Center 

• General Services Department – Energy & Sustainability Management Division

• Human Resources Department 

• Office of Equity and Inclusion

• Legal Department

• Planning Department – Albuquerque Geographical Information Systems Division 

According to the legislation, once the resolution is enacted, the working group would have nine months to develop the AI policy and DTI would need to submit a report to the City Council president. 

An appropriation of $40,000 from the city’s general fund would be used to “support the development and implementation of the policy and identification of best practices with all AI uses,” the resolution states. 

The group would also include stakeholders from community entities such as the city’s Information Services Commission, Albuquerque Police Officers Association, American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees and other community members. 

“This is a progress over time and something that can be looked at again,” Champine said. “As AI progresses, so should this program, to kind of keep up with it.”