Pinal County adopts AI use policy for employees; IT to maintain approved tools list

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors voted March 18 to adopt Policy 261, a countywide policy governing employee use of artificial intelligence tools. The policy defines acceptable and unacceptable uses, requires departments to use AI tools approved by county IT, and underscores compliance with data‑privacy laws.

Staff presentation explained the policy is intended to help employees use approved AI tools to improve efficiency while protecting sensitive data. "County IT will maintain a list of all approved IT tools," the policy presenter said, and departments may request vetting of additional tools through the IT help desk. The presentation noted optional Google Gemini integration for employees using county Gmail as an example of a productivity tool that can be enabled or disabled by staff.

Jason Cantrell, the county's CIO, said IT is investigating additional AI solutions for specific use cases, including tools that could assist plan review and other technical workflows, but stressed that human review remains required for official work products. "AI is a tool, not a substitute for human review," Cantrell said.

Supporters said the policy will allow secure pilot use and training while establishing procedures to prevent unauthorized data exposure. The board voted to adopt the policy; staff said they will communicate approved tools, provide a short tutorial and schedule director briefings and departmental training.