Midway drafts guardrails for AI use in city operations
Midway's city council reviewed a proposed artificial intelligence policy this week as Wasatch County governments establish rules for deploying the technology in municipal work.
The draft policy, prepared by city attorney Corbin Gordon, draws from guidelines other local governments have adopted. It aims to prevent AI from making decisions autonomously while capturing efficiency gains the technology offers.
"We want to make sure that we are using AI in a way where we are not letting AI make the decisions for us," Gordon said. "Very powerful tool; can get you to places much quicker than you otherwise would be. But if you don't double-check it, it gets to be a problem."
What staff can use AI for
City employees would be permitted to use AI for writing meeting minutes, summarizing documents, drafting reports, and assisting with records requests.
Prohibited uses
The policy lists specific restrictions to protect city data and legal interests:
- Using AI as the official repository for city records
- Relying on AI-generated content without human review
- Uploading confidential, privileged, or protected information into unapproved AI systems
- Using personal or non-city-controlled AI accounts for city business
Mayor Craig Simons emphasized that Midway data should not train large-language models. The city would likely create a protected account for government use to ensure data security.
What comes next
Council members requested a disclosure requirement so the public knows when AI has been used in city decisions. They also stressed the need to verify AI results for accuracy.
A small committee will refine Gordon's draft this spring before the full council votes on the final policy.
Heber City, Midway's neighbor, is already using AI to generate ideas for projects like proposed monuments. Heber's council expects to adopt its own AI policy later this spring.
For operations professionals managing similar deployments, resources on AI for Operations and AI for Government cover implementation strategies and governance frameworks.
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