According to the director of information technology in the area, Leesburg might implement guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence by town staff at an earlier stage.
Jakub Jedrzeiczak, the IT producer, aims to present the Town Council with the necessary documentation as soon as January. He shared a preview of some of the considerations being taken into account with the Times-Mirror. Jedrzeiczak mentioned that the plan could be developed in collaboration with the city’s Technology and Communications Commission.
Jedrzeiczak noted, “The prevailing assumption among women in Northern Virginia is that we are quick to adopt technology. While we are considered a tech hub, we are not the pioneers in establishing AI standards nationwide.”
AI has been utilized by people within and outside the state for centuries, with examples like Grammarly, Siri, and Google Translate. However, Jedrzeiczak highlighted that recent technologies such as relational AI signify a notable advancement.
One notable model is the ChatGPT robot introduced by OpenAI in late 2022, which possesses a vast vocabulary and is trained on extensive textual data to understand and generate language autonomously. Jedrzeiczak mentioned that ChatGPT has processed numerous books and has analyzed content from GitHub and Wikipedia.
As a result, it can generate intricate documents in natural language. Jedrzeiczak suggested that this could be beneficial for town employees who are non-native English speakers or struggle with writing.
Nevertheless, Jedrzeiczak cautioned that conceptual AI also presents challenges and concerns, including security breaches, biases, and nonsensical passages. He emphasized the importance for state workers, in particular, to be cautious not to inadvertently disclose sensitive information through AI usage.
John Binkley, head of the Technology and Communication Commission, expressed that regardless of the existence of a plan, individuals will start utilizing AI. The primary goal is to identify the optimal applications of AI for the city of Leesburg and the specific scenarios where its implementation would be beneficial.
Binkley, like all commissioners, is a local resident with professional IT background. Given his role as an IT consultant, Binkley stresses the significance of effectively leveraging AI.
In their planning for Leesburg, Binkley and Jedrzeiczak have been studying AI strategies from other regions. Currently, there are few such plans, each offering diverse approaches to this evolving technology.
Boston, another prominent IT hub, was specifically mentioned by Binkley. The city encourages responsible experimentation and utilizes conceptualAI. According to the city’s regulations, accountability lies with the outcomes of their resources.
Boston’s employees are mandated to thoroughly review any AI-generated content for errors and biases, and to disclose the use of AI in content creation. Leesburg officials are considering insights from various locations nationwide.
Seattle requires employees to seek approval from the IT department before utilizing AI, while Maine has temporarily halted AI use for six months as the state government formulates a comprehensive plan. Deloitte, a UK-based consulting firm, has offered guidance to local governments.
Binkley stated that he and Jedrzeiczak aim to incorporate the most effective strategies from these models into Leesburg’s plan. The potential applications of AI for the community, such as drafting job postings, organizing public gatherings, and creating public-facing documents, are numerous, he highlighted.
Ultimately, the risk tolerance will be determined by the Town Council, as per Binkley.
Meanwhile, Jedrzeiczak has conducted three training sessions for the city’s leadership and is actively promoting awareness regarding the appropriate use of AI among all town staff.
Reflecting on AI, Jedrzeiczak remarked, “[AI] reminds me of when the computer was first introduced. It’s a remarkable tool, I must say.”
