The Somerville City Council is fashioning an ordinance aimed at regulating parts of AI usage by the city.

By Harry Kane

Somerville may soon be adopting an artificial intelligence ordinance to provide acceptable-use policies that govern AI technology and its physical infrastructure.

The oversight of artificial intelligence systems ordinance would set municipal guardrails for government use of AI and provide a governance structure allowing the city to use AI.

City Councilor Jon Link “expressed concerns about the potential harm artificial intelligence (AI) could cause to communities and emphasized the need to restrict certain uses,” according to the minutes from the City Council meeting.

The draft ordinance was introduced at the October 22 City Council meeting and is divided into sections. These sections include the use of artificial intelligence systems, the use of sensitive personally identifiable information, an AI usage report, transparency, and enforcement.

“[The ordinance] asks that we ban AI from making decisions about things like eligibility for housing stability support,” said Link at the City Council meeting.

The AI ordinance would also ban things like police reports written by AI or the use of biased AI models to make decisions that could contribute to desperate outcomes, said Link.

The ordinance would require an annual report to describe what AI is being used for in the city.

“We don’t want AI to decide if an artist gets a grant, if a community member goes to prison or where our next library is built,” said Link.

City Councilor Ben Wheeler said, “The lines we’re trying to draw here are tricky ones to define well. And for me, the guiding goal is clarity.”

City Council Vice President Wilfred Mbah said AI can help government deliver services more efficiently, but transparency and accountability must be consistent with civil rights and privacy protections.

“This is about ensuring that technology serves the public interest, protects civil rights and maintains human accountability,” said Mbah.

He says residents should have the right to know when AI is being used to influence decisions affecting their housing assistance, city services, benefits, employment or other important opportunities.

“We should distinguish low-risk administrative uses from higher-risk applications that could affect residents’ rights while ensuring appropriate human oversight,” said Mbah.

Mbah mentioned there would be a process for residents to challenge consequential decisions once the ordinance is adopted.

“Our goal is to establish a practical framework that allows our residents to benefit from innovation while protecting residents and maintaining public trust,” said Mbah.

The item was referred for recommendation to the Legislative Matters Committee. At that committee meeting on October 27, Mbah spoke in more detail about the ordinance. He said the intent is “to establish clear, responsible guardrails for the use of artificial intelligence in city government.”

City Council President Lance Davis said he looks forward to input from the community and the Wilson administration.

“I think it’s important for organizations, including city government, to be very aware of, and conscious of, and cautious about the hazards and the risks that come with some of this new technology,” said Davis. “I think it’s also important to recognize the value and the inevitability of the pervasiveness of some of this technology.”