Some Austin residents and elected officials are calling for new community-driven accountability and transparency standards in the city's growing adoption of artificial intelligence.
"Technology is never neutral; it shapes who gets access to opportunity, who gets services, how decisions are made, whether people feel seen, heard and respected by their government. That’s why the people most impacted by technology must help govern it," council member José Velásquez said at an Aug. 3 news conference.
The overview
Austin leaders have pressed for oversight of city government's use of AI as the technology became more widely used. Some of that work stemmed from a 2024 resolution asking to convene a community AI advisory committee to consider issues related to privacy and data security, system transparency and reliability, public information and harm reduction.
That measure also sought to set AI accountability strategies and a plan for managing the technology's impact on city employees. And last year, City Council moved to establish AI ethics and transparency standards, an annual auditing program, and other policies related to human oversight, data-sharing and workforce issues.
From November to March, the city partnered with the research and education organization Measure and the Austin AI Alliance on an engagement initiative centered around local government's use of AI. A new report released this summer includes some takeaways from that project and policy recommendations for city leaders.
“From housing to healthcare, AI is already shaping everyday life. It's our responsibility as elected officials to make sure our systems and technology help, not harm, our communities," council member Vanessa Fuentes said in a statement. "This report doubles down on this belief by centering community voices in how AI is governed."
Zooming in
Hundreds of Austinites who provided feedback hope to see the city adopt AI policies prioritizing transparency, privacy protections, public participation, human oversight, environmental justice, and equitable education about the technology, according to Measure's reporting. Proposals forwarded to Austin city management include:
- Creating a permanent resident AI advisory body
- Disclosing all city AI systems, their purpose and risks, the data sources and third-party vendors they use, and what oversight mechanisms are in place
- Requiring all city AI systems to involve human review
- Investing in public education programs around AI and technology literacy
- Establishing city AI audits, resident complaint systems, and other review and reporting processes
- Evaluating the environmental impacts of data centers and other technologies
Those findings and recommendations showed residents are concerned about AI-related harms, and that the city and technology companies must involve the public more as AI systems become more common in everyday life, said Measure founder and President Meme Styles.
In response to the recommendations, a city spokesperson said Austin leaders will continue to accept public input on their approach.
“The City continues to advocate for responsible AI use and is always open to feedback from the Austin community on how we can improve the services we provide," the spokesperson said in a statement.
Austin has adopted AI systems to monitor wildfires, handle construction planning reviews and manage non-urgent police reports. Council members also approved wide-ranging policies for surveillance technologies like Flock Safety cameras—which officials voted to stop using last year—requiring city staff to report on AI capabilities.
City leaders previously outlined responses to council directives and state law on AI use by updating local policies, planning public outreach and partnering with groups like Austin Free-Net and Goodwill on digital literacy programs. The Austin Public Library will host an AI education event Aug. 6.
Offering input
Steven Apodaca, chair of the city's resident-led Technology Commission, noted skepticism and concern shared by many participants in Measure's community listening sessions. He also said he believes Austin can have accountable AI systems that are "worthy of public trust" with a focus on digital equity.
“One resident called AI 'the Wild West with no guardrails.' Another said simply, ‘AI, you can’t trust it.’ Parents worried about their kids online, others worried about seniors being targeted by scams and deepfakes, and about technology that could quietly automate bias in who gets a job and who gets a home," Apodaca said. "This is what we mean when we say AI is not just a technology issue, it’s a community issue.”
While new systems and oversight should still be rolled out, Styles said the city's participation in the recent outreach process and its response to identified issues showed leaders care about what's happening in the AI space.
“This is not something that should be political, and it should not be something that creates fear of the tech bros here in the city. There should be no reason why every City Council member, our mayor, managers, we should all be able to come together in a moment like this and name what needs to be named," she said.
