Supervisor Ronan proposes AI transparency and impact-assessment rules for city use

Supervisor Ronan introduced legislation aimed at increasing transparency and accountability for municipal uses of artificial intelligence. The proposed ordinance would require the City's Chief Information Officer to create and publish an inventory of AI products used across city departments and to prepare publicly available AI impact assessments for products that affect residents' rights or access to services. The measure would also direct the CIO to adopt procurement and development standards, including risk assessment and mitigation steps before acquiring AI technology.

Ronan said the CIO currently does not have a comprehensive accounting of AI tools across the 51 city departments and argued that transparency and early impact assessment are necessary to protect workers and residents. The proposal exempts low-impact tools such as spell-checkers and email filters and would solicit input from labor, privacy, and community groups during the assessment process.

Ronan described the ordinance as a "first step" to help policymakers and the public understand the extent of AI use in city government and to build mitigation practices before problems arise.