Many local governments ‘unprepared’ for safe AI use

A study published last week by the Public Technology Institute shows that while a majority of city and county IT executives are developing AI policies, 38% report feeling their organizations are unprepared to use artificial intelligence tools in safe and productive ways.

The institute, which is owned by the nonprofit Fusion Learning Partners and which offers various resources to local governments, found that only 9% of those polled said their organizations were “fully prepared” to use AI safely and effectively. Seven percent said their organizations have no plans to use AI at all.

When asked about the challenges of AI, the top three concerns named were security, privacy issues and a lack of necessary skills to use the technology effectively.

While AI has been in wide use for predictive functions and time-saving measures across all levels of government for many years, the arrival of new generative AI tools, like ChatGPT, at the end of 2022 has driven many public sector IT leaders to search for ways to streamline processes and eliminate busy work. The most popular uses of AI named in the survey were customer service chatbots, automated document generation and enhanced data management.

The institute also asked local IT leaders if they were taking steps to mitigate negative effects on their workforces. Fifty-three percent said they were developing AI governance policies and frameworks, 29% said they were collaborating with AI researchers and industry experts and 7% said they were assessing potential job displacement and recruiting strategies. But 40% said they haven’t done anything to mitigate AI’s potential effects on their workforces.

In state government, chief information officers and other IT leaders are looking hopefully to generative AI as a way to trim the fat from some of their most tedious processes. The National Association of State Chief Information Officers last October published a report noting that with careful application, generative AI can be used to improve states’ complex procurement processes. As in the PTI report, some of the key uses of AI named were chatbots and automated document processing.