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Pottawattamie County adopts three-tier AI policy requiring training and human oversight
Summary
The Pottawattamie County Board approved a countywide artificial intelligence policy that establishes three tiers of AI use, mandates staff training and human oversight, and directs the IT committee and county attorneys to manage enforcement and reporting procedures.
Pottawattamie County approved a formal artificial intelligence policy after a presentation from David Bayer, the county’s chief information officer, who framed the measure as a way to add “guardrails” around rapidly expanding AI use. The board voted to adopt the policy following discussion about enforcement and training.
The policy organizes county AI use into three tiers. Bayer described Tier 1 as basic, non‑sensitive uses ("glorified Google searches"), Tier 2 as county‑licensed tools for more advanced tasks, and Tier 3 as tightly controlled deployments involving sensitive data such as criminal justice (CJIS), payment card (PCI) or health (HIPAA) information. "We need to have humans involved in the steps," Bayer said, emphasizing training requirements and a ticketing process for reporting questionable use.
Board members asked how the county would police misuse. Bayer said the county will rely on a combination of the AI committee, IT, a general ticketing/reporting system and mandatory training signoffs; he added that whistleblowers and routine review will be part of oversight. "We're gonna have to rely on whistleblowers to some level," he said. The policy also directs staff to disclose when AI was used to create a document and limits placing sensitive data into open, unlicensed AI tools.
Supporters said the policy had been reviewed by county attorneys and policy committees and that adopting it now enables training and controlled rollout. The board approved the motion to adopt the policy by voice vote.
Next steps outlined by Bayer include developing training materials, recording training sessions for later viewing and publishing guidance on when and how to document AI use. The policy assigns responsibility for ongoing refinement to the AI committee and IT staff.
