Camden Weighs Law: No City Government Jobs Lost to AI
Camden City Council is set to consider an ordinance that protects city jobs as departments adopt AI tools. Sponsored by Council President Angel Fuentes, the measure gets its first reading on January 13, with a public hearing and potential adoption expected in February.
Core idea: no city employee would be fired, laid off, or reassigned solely because the city deploys an AI system. The protection covers full-time, part-time, contractual, and seasonal workers. The proposal also argues that AI doesn't earn wages or pay taxes, so replacing people with software undermines the local economy and public accountability.
AI is allowed for support tasks - think document scanning or database management - but not to make autonomous decisions that affect public rights, benefits, or employment outcomes.
Strong Oversight and Clear Guardrails
Replacing human roles with software - intentionally or otherwise - would require both mayoral authorization and Council approval. Because Camden remains under state oversight, the ordinance would also need sign-off from the New Jersey Commissioner of Community Affairs. See the department's authority and responsibilities here: NJ Department of Community Affairs.
AI Advisory Committee
The ordinance creates a five-member AI Advisory Committee that reports to Council. Seats would include a rank-and-file union member, a representative from the city Law Department with ethics expertise, and a member of the public with ethics or data privacy expertise. The committee would review deployments and recommend policy refinements as technology and use cases develop.
City Workforce Snapshot and Timeline
As of August 1, Camden employed 474 full-time and 112 part-time staff. The proposed law puts a floor under those jobs while allowing productivity gains from carefully scoped AI pilots.
Key dates: first reading on January 13; public hearing and possible adoption in February; state approval required afterward.
What This Means for Government Employees
- Your job can't be cut just because a new AI system shows up. Any major change must go through executive and legislative approval.
- AI can help with repetitive tasks, but people stay in control of decisions tied to rights, benefits, and employment.
- Expect more transparency: documented use cases, human review, and clear lines of responsibility.
- Unions and public voices are built into oversight, signaling a seat at the table for workforce concerns.
What Departments Can Do Now
- Inventory tasks by risk and value. Target low-risk, high-volume work (records, routing, search) for early pilots.
- Write "human-in-the-loop" procedures for any model outputs used in service delivery.
- Set procurement criteria: audit logs, data privacy terms, bias testing, and opt-out controls for sensitive workflows.
- Plan training so staff can review, correct, and improve AI outputs without displacing roles.
- Create plain-language public notices explaining where AI is used, how it's reviewed, and how to challenge outcomes.
Why This Approach Matters
The ordinance balances efficiency with accountability. It signals that Camden welcomes tools that cut backlogs and clerical overhead, while keeping people in charge where rights, services, and livelihoods are on the line.
If your team is drafting pilot plans or training pathways, a curated catalog can help you upskill without undercutting roles. Explore options by job function here: Complete AI Training: Courses by Job.
Your membership also unlocks:
