State and local governments have been independently advancing AI policies in the absence of a comprehensive federal policy — although President Joe Biden’s AI executive order initiated the process of solidifying a federal governance strategy. It also put added pressure on local governments to keep up with AI advances.
In Grove City, leaders enacted its AI policy on Oct. 3, 2023. According to the city’s Director of Information Systems Todd Hurley, it’s part of a broader initiative the city has had underway for the past several years to standardize policies and procedures. The goal was to enhance security and set consistent standards. As the city assessed its appropriate use of assets policy, it became clear that AI tools were being explored for potential applications — and there was a need for a clear policy stating how AI may be used within the organization.
“We wanted to identify how AI was being used in our organization and how we can garner the approval of that,” Hurley said, noting that in some cases, approval would not be granted.
Now, the information systems team and the city administrator must both approve AI-powered tools, and approval happens on a case-by-case basis.
The city has already implemented several AI-powered tools, including Grammarly and KnowBe4, which Hurley said both leverage AI. The Grove City website also hosts a virtual chatbot with some AI functions; and the city uses Arctic Wolf as a risk management tool. The city sends Arctic Wolf between 750 million and 1 billion data points in a given month; and, using AI, those data points are sorted and narrowed down into actionable items. Risk analysis, Hurley said, would be difficult for Grove City to handle with existing staff — but an AI-powered tool extends its reach and offers a major cost savings.
“So, we are using AI in certain facets of our government,” Hurley said, underlining the importance of securing technical infrastructure and sensitive information when doing so. “So, it’s important for us to at least have put some groundwork out there with respect to policy for AI.”
AI, the director of information services said, “is in its very infancy.” This, he said, shaped the city’s approach to establishing AI governance early, in a way that is not overly restrictive but also addresses risk mitigation. New technology failures, he said, can be “life or death,” so ensuring continuation of services is not something Grove City officials take lightly. City policies are reviewed annually, and as AI evolves, Hurley said a policy change could be initiated at any time.
One of the city’s longer-term goals is to make better use of aggregated data to identify trends and make strategic planning decisions on issues ranging from land development to public safety. AI, Hurley said, will help the city shift from the reactionary use of data to being proactive — and predictive.
“I think AI will enable us to be more quick about that analysis … to hopefully produce better results,” he said. “That kind of feels like where we’re going as a government.”
