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Franklin staff preview draft AI governance plan, highlight chatbots and data safeguards
Summary
City IT, HR and legal staff presented a draft approach to using artificial intelligence in municipal operations, including chatbots, vendor contract language and employee training. Staff said the goal is to expand safe uses (customer service, plan review aids, HVAC optimization) while protecting privacy and vendor‑shared data.
City staff presented a draft artificial intelligence policy and described initial use cases, vendor precautions and training needs for municipal deployment.
Presentation and goals: IT Director Jason Potts introduced the city’s work with the Government AI Coalition and said the city’s objectives are to use AI to improve services and staff productivity while building governance, vendor contract language and data protections. Potts said the coalition emphasizes policy, roles and processes to govern how AI tools are used.
Use cases and examples: Andrew Southern, information‑systems development manager, described live examples and pilots: the city’s Frankie chatbot (deployed for public inquiries), plan‑review automation used by other jurisdictions to speed developer plan cycles, and energy‑management AI pilots (cited work in Stockholm for HVAC efficiency). Potts said San Jose shared experience with AI for nonemergency contacts and reduced wait times in dispatch contexts.
Privacy, contracts and training: HR Director Kevin Townsville and the city attorney raised contract and data risks. Townsville told the board the technology can improve productivity but stressed that employees must be trained to edit AI outputs and avoid pasting confidential or identifying data into third‑party platforms. The city attorney noted firms sometimes place client data into vendor chat systems; staff reported work to add contract language requiring vendors to disclose AI use, protect city data and clarify ownership.
Governance approach: Staff described an internal AI working group and proposed governance principles that include human‑centered design, security and safety, privacy protections, transparency about where AI is used, impartiality, accountability and effectiveness. Potts said the policy will be iterative because the technology and legal landscape are changing rapidly.
Board comments and public service focus: Aldermen asked questions about citizen access and suggested prioritizing public‑facing uses that draw only on public data (meeting minutes, agendas and other public records) to build value for residents. Potts and Southern said they will evaluate expanding the chatbot’s public‑data access and pursue use cases that increase public access to information, including multilingual responses.
Next steps: Staff said they will continue drafting an administrative policy, add standard contract language for vendor AI use, prepare employee training modules and return to the board with recommended policy language and implementation steps. No formal board action was taken during the work session.
