The San Francisco County government meeting on July 4, 2025, focused on two significant topics: the approval of call recording technology for the Human Services Agency (HSA) and the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) in local elections.

The meeting began with a discussion on the HSA's use of call recording technology. The Committee on Information Technology and its Privacy and Surveillance Advisory Board held public hearings on March 23 and June 15, 2023, to evaluate the policy and its impact. Following these discussions, the committee voted to recommend that the Board of Supervisors approve the use of this technology. The motion passed without objection, indicating strong support for the initiative.

The second major topic addressed was the role of artificial intelligence in local elections. Supervisor Preston, who called for the hearing, emphasized the need to assess whether current San Francisco laws adequately address the potential for AI-generated misinformation in election materials. He highlighted the growing concerns about AI's influence on elections, noting that misleading content generated by AI is becoming increasingly prevalent across the country.

During the hearing, the Department of Elections and the Ethics Commission were invited to present their current protocols for managing AI's impact on elections. The discussion included proposals to prevent the use of fraudulent AI-generated content in campaign advertisements. Preston pointed out recent instances of AI misuse in political contexts, such as deepfake videos and AI-generated robocalls, which have raised alarms about election integrity.

Overall, the meeting underscored the city's proactive approach to adopting new technologies while ensuring that safeguards are in place to protect the electoral process from misinformation. The discussions will likely lead to further policy developments aimed at maintaining the integrity and transparency of elections in San Francisco.