The city, among the fastest growing in the U.S., recently set up one of the newest AI study groups in the country via a unanimous City Council vote.
The move came as New Jersey began offering free AI tools to other governments and Arizona published its own AI policy, just two examples of how the quickly growing technology is forcing officials to focus on its uses, risks and possibilities.
The creation of the commission also happens as Atlanta faces a $33 million budget deficit — a point brought up by Amir Farokhi, the City Council member credited by his colleagues with pushing the commission idea.
“I want to make sure the city gets better at what it does for the benefit of residents. AI can play a role in that,” he told Government Technology via email. “For example, we are headed into a lean fiscal year. AI could be used to streamline administrative tasks and improve customer service at a time when we need to tighten our belts.”
As he sees it, Atlanta can do more to “leverage AI” for such tasks as infrastructure maintenance and monitoring, customer service and reducing “administrative inefficiencies.”
To get from here to there, the commission will gather a “wide array of voices and inputs, both inside and outside the city,” he said.
Any recommendations from the commission will have to go to the city’s executive branch and departments before winning approval, Farokhi said. For now, the commission will focus on gaining more knowledge about AI, including ongoing use cases.
“This issue is important to me because AI has power, both good and bad, to transform our lives,” he said.
This new commission in Atlanta represents the latest development in “AI Localism,” according to Stefaan Verhulst, co-founder of GovLab, which helps governments navigate issues related to technology and data.
“Cities are well-positioned to address the challenges and opportunities of AI due to their proximity to local stakeholders and the specific needs of their communities,” he told Government Technology via email.
Similar efforts, he said, have taken place in Alabama, Washington state, New York City and elsewhere. The trend is not confined to the U.S.; local governments around the world are taking similar steps.
National policies on AI tend to come more slowly than the pace of tech advancements, Verhulst said, sparking the establishment of local bodies to dig into the issue. Those local groups, such as the new one in Atlanta, promise to influence further progress with artificial intelligence.
“Local AI commissions provide a platform to experiment with governance approaches that can later be scaled or adapted at higher levels,” he said.
But those commissions can also come with significant challenges, he said. They include domination by “industry interests,” a lack of inclusivity and favoring private interests over public needs.
“The Toronto Sidewalk Labs case is an example of how inadequate public engagement and transparency can erode trust,” he said, referring to the now cancelled, Google-backed project in Canada that was dogged by privacy fears and other concerns.
Not only that, Verhulst added, but cities might not have the money or tech resources to follow recommendations from AI commissions.
Cities, of course, aren’t the only operations deeply interested in AI guidelines and recommendations. Suppliers of government technology have a keen interest — it can seem that almost every company in that space is touting how its particular products are getting a boost from AI.
At least one gov tech executive was generally skeptical of city AI commissions, though he could also see how the commission could provide benefits.
“I find often [that] committees are just in name only,” said Parth Shah, CEO and co-founder of Polimorphic, which sells an AI search tool for local governments, among other products. “I do think if they are actually focused on prioritizing customer service, AI solutions can be great.”
He worries that with various governments getting into the AI commission and study group business, guidelines might not be consistent or lasting.
He said he finds more value in a broader group such as the year-old GovAI Coalition, which includes about 1,700 people from about 550 agencies — and which just held a summit in Silicon Valley.
“If they collaborate — and the GovAI Coalition did this — then that’s easier,” Shah told Government Technology via email.
He said such commissions, no matter which agency organizes them, won’t make a difference in the company’s AI research and development. But that doesn’t mean they lack value.
“I do think it helps sales and marketing to see which [organizations] are already thinking about AI,” he said.
At Motorola Solutions, a company best known for its public safety tools, the company is “encouraged” about the Atlanta commission and the “open dialogue” about how to best use AI, according to a statement from Chris Bennett, director of AI transparency and education.
“At the same time, we think it’s strategically important that we maintain a landscape for innovation, and would encourage these forums to prioritize education and awareness as a first step,” he said.
