Robot run government

Sullivan County AI policy approves use and requires public disclosure

By RUBY RAYNER-HASELKORN
Posted 12/31/69

SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — As the use of the new technology continues to take hold, Sullivan County has adopted a policy on Artificial Intelligence (AI) barring county employees from feeding …

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Robot run government

Sullivan County AI policy approves use and requires public disclosure

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SULLIVAN COUNTY, NY — As the use of the new technology continues to take hold, Sullivan County has adopted a policy on Artificial Intelligence (AI) barring county employees from feeding personal or confidential county information to an AI and requiring public disclosure when AI is used. This policy has the ultimate goal of curbing and controlling AI within the county government.

The expanded use and explicit allowance of AI technology for county business follows trends set by other municipalities. In 2024, the New York State Office of Information and Technology Services passed a state policy on AI, with New York joining nine other states with explicit policies about its use. The federal government released more detailed AI policies in March 2024, expanding the possibilities for its use.

The county policy, passed at the full board legislative meeting on December 19, includes an expansive list of guidelines for the appropriate use of AI. Some of the approved uses include: assisting in data analysis for decision-making, providing the quality of input data and output results are reviewed by humans; creating documentation or instructions; generating new creative ideas; conducting research (e.g., submitting test data for proof‐of‐concept projects); and obtaining technical assistance (e.g., troubleshooting problems).

Critically for the public, the policy states, “If AI‐generated content is published to the public on behalf of the county, the content should be labeled as having been produced by AI technology. Include details on the material’s review and editing, and include a reference to the product, model, and version used (e.g., ChatGPT by OpenAI; GPTv3.5).”

“I’m not encouraging AI’s use and this policy is to curtail its use to valid and justified uses and forms,” Sullivan County Information Technology Services Commissioner Lorne Green said, while explaining the policy to the legislators. 

District 8 Legislator Amanda Ward added an amendment to the policy to require employee “attestation” that ensures acknowledgment, receipt and understanding of the policy with a yearly renewal and to make it available on “One Group,” the platform where all county trainings are hosted. 

The US House of Representatives released a Bipartisan House Task Force Report on Artificial Intelligence in December that was geared toward the federal government evaluating risks relevant to the software more generally, like “increasing risks of private information being accessed without authorization,” bias and discrimination. It  specifically noted “policymakers should be cautious of ‘algorithmic-based’ decision-making.” 

“Sullivan County’s new policy on artificial intelligence was crafted from a substantial amount of national research, collaboration with my fellow IT officers across New York State and the needs and expectations of our workforce,” said Green. “The policy, while tailored to Sullivan, dovetails with New York’s policy, and due to AI’s rapid evolution, we’ll update it as necessary to stay current with the technology and the state’s position.” 

Read the county’s AI policy here: bit.ly/TRR-2024-SullCo-AI.

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