A six-page Artificial Intelligence policy and terms of reference for an AI Governance Committee are in the works. On 24 July the Committee of the Whole recommended approval of both.

David Boyle, Senior Manager of Infrastructure, Technology and Transformation, presented a report on the new AI policy. “We need to have guard rails around this technology,” he noted. “That means not just in how it’s used, but where it’s used and ensuring that there’s an ethical standard that we hold ourselves to.”

Artificial Intelligence tools are becoming the norm in all sectors, and local government is no exception. “There’s a number of technologies staff are interested in adopting that we believe will drive efficiencies for the County,” said Mr. Boyle, “and those technologies incorporate the use of artificial intelligence.

“The public sector is addressing them differently from the private sector, but I think every community needs to monitor this carefully.”

The policy statement is an attempt to get out in front of a huge change in the way all different departments do business and interact with people. A committee will oversee the use of AI at Shire Hall. It will include members of the community as advisors.

“We have to take seriously the environmental risk because there’s no way to use AI currently without endangering our planet further.”

Councillor Kate MacNaughton

Councillor McNaughton worried about the risks of technology taking over, including the degradation of human skills such as spelling, and risks to future local employment. “There are very strongly stated values in this policy and there’s a specific line that talks about keeping AI practice human-centered,” she noted with approval.

Mr. Boyle said the AI use the policy recommends is not to replace people, but to make AI a “complementary tool” that makes tasks “easier, faster, and more efficient.”

There was some concern about the nature of the tools. ”At this point in time, the tools that we’re seeing most widely used are what we call Large Language Models,” said Mr. Boyle, citing ChatGPT as an example.

Large Language Models, or LLMs, are systems trained on huge volumes of publicly available texts on the internet. Rather than employing logic, reasoning, or specific research skills, they are predictive: they predict customary sequences of words. It repeats without knowing what it is repeating. It demands careful oversight.

Key areas of concern include bias, especially, as Councillor Branderhorst remarked, in Human Resources applications. Mr. Boyle pointed out, “we have a specific clause in the policy about bias, fairness and equity which states all AI systems will be evaluated for potential bias and systemic inequalities.”

Security and the environment were also key concerns. “When we contract with third-party AI providers, we open the door to potential unknown threats,” said Councillor MacNaughton.

“We have to take seriously the environmental risk because there’s no way to use AI currently without endangering our planet further.” 

A ChatGPT search consumes nine or ten times as much energy as a Google search. 

Brianna Clement, Communications Coordinator, noted, “In 2019, the County declared a climate emergency and is currently drafting a Climate Action Plan that includes both adaptation and mitigation strategies. As such, any use of AI must align with our broader climate goals. This includes evaluating energy consumption, vendor sustainability practices, and the potential impact on local infrastructure or procurement choices.”

Copyright infringement in LLMs is also an issue. Major media outlets have launched lawsuits against OpenAI and Microsoft in the U.S., the UK, and Canada. The County says “AI systems must only use data that is lawfully obtained, [and] accurate.” That stricture could affect the use of LLMs, depending on legal decisions yet to be made. 

“The policy sets conditions that any AI tool, including LLMs, must be used in a way that complies with copyright, privacy, and data governance laws,” said Ms. Clement.

“The policy will need to be reviewed in the first six months,” noted Mr. Boyle. “I think what’s going to happen is we’re going to find that there’ll be a massive uptick. The committee will be quite busy with an influx of requests and people trying to bring solutions forward.”

Councillor Nyman worried that AI would exacerbate the lack of human contact that is increasingly the case in dealing with Shire Hall. “We’re losing the human element, and human contact. I know a lot of people want that element. Somehow, we have to keep the personal touch there.”

“The committee will make that a priority,” responded Mr. Boyle.

Interim CAO Adam Goheen noted that the use of AI should allow staff to “be more efficient in clearing tickets so they can answer the phone personally. That’s where I see this as being a benefit in customer service.”