HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-24RESOLUTION 3-24
RESOLUTION ADOPTING AN A.I. USE POLICY FOR THE TOWN
WHEREAS, the Town of Los Altos Hills uses reliable, collaborative, and secure information
technology solutions to support the efforts of staff in delivering high-quality services the
community; and
WHEREAS, as new, relevant local government technologies arise, the Town often assesses the
value that each can deliver; and
WHEREAS, in 2022, generative A.I. emerged as a powerful new tool in a wide range of contexts
and the Town quickly recognized that this technology could be useful in the public sector while
also acknowledging that it could create unacceptable risks; and
WHEREAS, to help understand those risks, and provide clear guidance to staff on its uses, the
Town engaged the services of Dr. Jonathan Reichental, former Chief Information Officer for the
City of Palo Alto, to help put together an A.I. Use Policy.
NOW THEREFORE, the City Council of the Town of Los Altos Hills hereby approves of the
attached A.I. Use Policy for the Town of Los Altos Hills.
The above and foregoing Resolution was passed and adopted by the City Council of the Town of
Los Altos Hills at a Regular meeting held on 15th of February 2024 by the following vote:
AYES: Mok, Schmidt, Swan, Tankha, Tyson
NOES: None
ABSENT: None
ABSTAIN: None
By:
Sta e ok, Ma r
ATTEST:
ka Birdsong -Mill , City Clerk
Resolution 3-24
TOWN OF LOS ALTOS HILLS
26379 Fremont Road
Los Altos Hills, CA 94022
Phone: (650) 941-7222
www.losaltoshills.ca.gov
I,OSAi;TIL S
CALIFORNIA
Generative Artificial Intelligence Acceptable Use Policy
Approved by City Council Feb 15, 2024
1. Executive Summary
The Town of Los Altos Hills uses reliable, collaborative, and secure information technology
solutions to support the efforts of staff in delivering high-quality services to its community.
As new, relevant local government technologies arise, the Town often assesses the value that
each can deliver. In 2022, generative Al — creating meaningful output such as text and images
from human prompts -- emerged as a powerful new tool in a wide range of contexts. The Town
quickly recognized that this technology could be extraordinarily useful in the public sector while
also acknowledging that it could create unacceptable risks.
The Town of Los Altos Hills will partner and collaborate with other government agencies in the
region and beyond to maximize the benefits of generative Al and to reduce its risks such as
security, privacy, and content issues.
This policy provides rules and guidance for Town staff to support responsible use of generative Al
tools. The Town is committed to encouraging the use of emerging technologies that promote
progress and innovation, increase organizational performance and quality service delivery, and
_s_erve the -public good. -
2. Version Control
Date
Version
What
Who
11/18/23
1.0
Draft policy framework
External consultant
11/24/23
2.0
First full draft of policy
External consultant
11/27/23
2.1
Review and minor modifications
City Manager
12/17/23
3.0
Incorporates feedback from tech committee
LAH Tech Committee
2/15/2024
3.0
Adopted by City Council
I LAH City Council
Generative Al Acceptable Use Policy
Page 2
3. Definitions
What
Description
User
Staff, contractors, or others using Generative Al for Town work purposes.
Town
The local government of The Town of Los Altos Hills, California.
Artificial
Intelligence (Al
A system that performs certain tasks that simulate those of a human.
Generative Al
A system that creates content such as text, audio, or images in response to
human or computer inputs.
4. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to set forth requirements and guidance that Town users must adhere
to when acquiring and using solutions that meet the definition of generative artificial intelligence
(AI).
S. Scope
While Al is a broad and deep topic, this policy is currently concerned with solutions that use a
specific type of Al called generative Al. Examples include ChatGPT and Google Bard, as well as
products from Stability.ai, Jasper.ai, and similar. This policy also acknowledges that the
boundaries of such solutions can be complex to define, and the nature of the technology is
changing at a high rate. In the event of uncertainty in how any part of this policy applies, staff
should first seek guidance from a supervisor.
6. Benefits and Risks of Using Generative Al in Local Government
Benefits (not an exhaustive list):
a) Ability to analyze large amounts of information and then identify patterns, answer
questions, make recommendations, and summarize findings.
b) Reduce time spent on regular tasks including the creation of documents such as memos,
emails, job descriptions, and reports, and assist with rapid knowledge acquisition.
c) Improved decision-making by discovering and exploring scenarios, evaluating options,
and analyzing relevant data.
d) Assist in the development of new content such as policies and procedures, website
content, and social media posts, including rewording and improving grammar.
e) Provide community -facing chatbots that provide 24-hour access to information and
services.
f) Translates text into different languages.
Generative Al Acceptable Use Policy
Page 3
Risks (not an exhaustive list):
a) May create output that uses, for example, inappropriate, generic, and irrelevant
language, bias, and tone. Translations too, may not be of an acceptable level of quality.
b) Information produced may not be accurate, which includes dates, places, names, events,
and more.
c) May reveal personally identifiable or sensitive information, disclose confidential
information, or release draft information to the public.
d) Reliance may reduce the important use of human empathy, personal contact, discretion,
and judgement.
e) All input and output content may be subject to relevant public record laws.
f) Content produced may be subject to copyright laws and use could result in legal
challenges.
7. Acceptable Uses of Generative Al
The range of uses of generative Al are wide and new capabilities are being frequently introduced.
This list provides a small set of staff usage examples that can be used as guidance.
a) Creating an outline for written content. The generative Al content is used as a starting
point, but the final product is created by staff. Examples include:
• Letters
• Emails
• Project documentation
• Speaker notes
• Presentation slides
• Social media posts
• RFPs and similar
• Web content
• Reports
• Procedures
• Policies
• Job descriptions
• Press releases
b) Copying a document into a generative Al tool for the purposes of summarizing and/or
querying it.
c) Suggesting writing improvements.
d) Learning about and exploring topics.
Generative AI Acceptable Use Policy
Page 4
e) Analyzing different types of data.
f) Idea generation.
g) Research.
8. Requirements for Using Generative Al
a) All generative Al tools used for work purposes require an account that is explicitly for
Town use. Personal accounts are not permitted for work use.
b) Assume that all use of generative Al tools and content are subject to relevant public
records requests and must adhere to existing Town data retention requirements where
appropriate.
c) Only provide input content that is okay for public disclosure.
d) Staff are responsible for all outcomes of generative Al used for work purposes.
Specifically, the consequences of generative Al use are a human responsibility and
issues cannot be deferred to the software and system. Staff assume all responsibility for
content produced by generative Al.
e) Conduct a fact check on all content that is produced by generative AL Staff must
validate all output and ensure that it is factually correct. Staff are responsible for
managing the risks of Al hallucinations, i.e., the creation by Al of inaccurate or
nonsensical content.
f) Provide attribution whenever generated content is published including images.
g) Log usage of generative Al for possible reference purposes later.
h) Do not use generative Al to generate code or audio at this time.
9. Procurement of Generative Al Solutions
a) To procure generative Al solutions, staff must follow the existing policies and procedures
for acquiring hardware and software for the Town.
b) Staff acknowledge that the procurement process maybe slower than normal as a risk and
impact assessment may be required.
c) The policy and procedures for acquiring generative Al solutions also applies to free -to -
use, freemium, open source, software -as -a -service (SaaS), and any other solution
formats.
d) Approval to procure a generative AI solution is not required if the identical solution has
already been formally approved.
Generative Al Acceptable Use Policy
Page 5
e) Use of any generative Al solution may be restricted or revoked at any time if, in the
judgement of the Town, the risk of use results in non-compliance in part or full, with this
policy or any other Town policy, or other relevant policy, rule, or law.
10. Enforcement
Enforcement may be imposed in coordination with individual division directors and department
leaders. Non-compliance may result in department leaders imposing disciplinary action,
restriction of access, or more severe penalties up to and including termination of employment or
vendor contract.
11. Training
The Town will occasionally provide training in generative Al and specific tools. For specific
requirements, staff should work with their supervisor to request training following their normal
learning needs process.
Khan Academy provides high-quality, free online training. Access via khanacademy.org and search
for "generative Al"
For developing prompt engineering skills—the ability to provide good input for great generative
Al output—the following site provides free, high-quality training: learnprompting.org
12. Contact and Oversight Information
This policy will be maintained through the City Manager's department, owned by the City
Manager or designee. Their responsibilities include creating and maintaining the generative Al
risk and impact criteria, making recommendations for policy updates, communicating updates on
the Towns position on generative Al, and as a point of contact for escalating challenges and issues
with the technology.
13. Document Control
This policy shall be effective on Feb 15, 2024 and shall be reviewed annually. A review and update
may also be initiated in the event of substantive changes to generative Al and its associated
solutions.