The gist
Buda’s AI policy, adopted Aug. 19, aims to provide ethical guidelines and a comprehensive governance structure for the use of AI by and on behalf of the city.
“The policy ensures [socially] good, ethical nondiscrimination and responsible AI governance to improve government services,” Buda Information Technology Manager Cameron Determeyer said.
The details
In addition to providing guidance for city staff, consultants, contractors and partners, the policy establishes a process to assess and manage risks associated with AI usage.
The city has approved the following AI platforms, including:
- ChatGPT
- Copilot
- Grok
- Gemini
- Claude.ai
- PLAUD
- Flock Safety
- Spot.ai
Prohibited AI uses on behalf of the city include facial recognition or iris scanning without an individual’s knowledge; fully automated decisions with no meaningful human oversight; social scoring; entering personal identification information into an AI system; and personal use of city-provided AI systems.
In the event of a security or privacy incident, the city has a response plan in place.
Put in perspective
At the 89th legislative session, several AI-related bills were passed, including Senate Bill 1964, which “seeks to create a clear, enforceable framework for the procurement, development, and deployment of AI systems by government agencies in Texas,” according to the statement of intent by the bill’s author, Rep. Giovanni Capriglione, R-Southlake.
This law goes into effect Sept. 1.
The framework
Buda’s AI policy was created using the GovAI Coalition template. The GovAI Coalition was created in 2023 in San Jose, California, with a mission to “promote responsible and purposeful AI in the public sector,” according to the coalition’s website.
Other Texas cities that have used this template include Austin, San Antonio and San Marcos.
