Chair urges board to review AI use in proposal writing after AI Minnesota convention

During the Feb. 3, 2026 meeting, the chair of the State Designer Selection Board told members he had attended an AI Minnesota convention and raised the possibility of asking design firms to report whether and how they use artificial intelligence to prepare proposals. The chair said he "identified myself as as chair of the state designer selection board and said, and asked really what the consensus would be if we were to require firms to report their use of AI in writing proposals," and suggested the board study the issue before taking any formal steps.

Board members responded with questions about how to share resources and what risks to watch for. Heather (staff member) said she would "check into the best way to go about it" and gather information, then reach out to Bill to coordinate next steps. One member asked whether heavy AI use could result in multiple firms submitting the same proposal; another urged the board to consider the environmental impacts of AI. The chair also cautioned the group about examples he had read of lawyers filing briefs that included entirely fictional legal precedents, saying the risk of fabricated citations was real.

Members agreed to review existing state materials and the documentation Heather provided and to add the topic to the agenda for the next meeting or hold a special session if interest warrants. No policy or procurement rule changes were adopted at the meeting; the discussion was limited to direction to staff to compile resources and to board members to do preliminary reading.