Charlottetown has AI framework in place as it develops policy for staff, volunteers and boards

Artificial intelligence is everywhere these days. From phones to customer service to government offices, AI is inescapable.

To keep up with the fast moving change, Charlottetown is developing an AI policy for city staff. While that work is ongoing, the city also has an interim framework for responsible AI use.

Jessica Bradley, city spokesperson, says the framework allows some AI use, but it retains the role of human decision makers and protects data and privacy.

“The framework allows staff to use AI to support appropriate tasks such as research, brainstorming, drafting and organizing non-sensitive information, while establishing important safeguards around privacy, confidentiality, data security, accuracy and human oversight. AI is intended to support, not replace, human judgment, and staff remain responsible for reviewing and validating any AI-generated information or materials used in their work.”

There is no clear timeline for developing the policy, but Bradley estimated it could be a year away. The document will need to go through the standard process of committee review and council vote.

In the meantime, the framework says the rules apply to Charlottetown staff, volunteers, interns and advisory groups. The five-page document is available on the city website’s policy section under the administration folder.

Charlottetown is one of 57 municipalities in P.E.I., which range in population from a couple hundred to thousands.

Satya Sen, executive director of the Federation of P.E.I. Municipalities, says the federation supports the responsible use of AI for improving efficiency and productivity. This is especially appealing in the Island’s tiny rural municipalities, which have few staff, Sen said in an Oct. 8 Guardian interview.

“There are tools that can help to make more efficient land use decisions, AI tools that can help with making your operations more efficient, about lets say, asset management or infrastructure management planning, even with financial management too.”

However, decision making must always come from people and professionals. AI cannot replace the role of committees and boards, council and mayor or professional staff, he said.

There are also risks that come with AI use in government. Sen pointed to the protection of privacy, data sovereignty and trust in public institutions as some of the biggest concerns.

The world people once knew in the West, based on the rule of law, is gone, he said.

With serious threats from our American neighbours, it is essential that any government AI use be based in data sovereignty — keeping data that enters an AI system within Canada, or ideally, even more local, Sen said.

This is something that should be built into licensing agreements that municipalities have with AI service providers, he said.

Charlottetown does not have a licensing agreement at the moment, but the framework allows staff to use programs like ChatGPT, Claude, Copilot and Gemini.

Sen suggested there also needs to be training for staff using new tools like AI.

At the moment, there is not much of this in the province, and the federation is looking at developing something for local governments, Sen said.

Charlottetown’s AI framework notes there is no training available for staff, but it “has been identified as an opportunity.”

Then there is the issue of protecting private and confidential information, Sen said.

“You cannot put information, private information, and then expect the data is protected. Think about a human resources file.”

The city’s framework forbids staff from entering that kind of information into any AI program.

Sen also talked about the problem of AI bias. Artificial intelligence can only generate answers from the information it has learned from, which can include bias.

The province also has a role to play in artificial intelligence rules. Given the burden it would be for all of the Island’s municipalities to develop their own policies, Sen thinks the province should take the lead.

“They’re the regulator. They have to come up with some sort of a standard practice, a standard of use or some sort of a framework around how to use AI amongst municipal governments, because ultimately municipalities are a creation of the province,” he said.

On Oct. 8, spokesperson Jill Edwards forwarded a statement from the Department of Housing and Communities, saying: “There is currently no provincial legislation, regulation or template under consideration regarding municipal use of artificial intelligence. Municipalities have different needs and priorities, and like many organizations, are continuing to learn how best to use emerging technologies such as AI.”

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Logan MacLean is a municipal reporter for The Guardian in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached at lmaclean@postmedia.com and followed on X @loganmaclean94.