ATLANTA — The Atlanta Artificial Intelligence Commission spent the past year working to better understand AI and how it can be used to improve city efficiency and boost services for residents.
The commission published their final report on the topic at the end of May, with recommendations to the Atlanta City Council on how to move forward with the use of AI in city programs.
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“The completion of the Commission’s work marks an important step forward for Atlanta as we prepare for the opportunities and challenges presented by artificial intelligence,” Councilmember Matt Westmoreland, chair of the AI Commission, said in a statement. “These recommendations reflect months of thoughtful collaboration and public engagement focused on ensuring innovation is balanced with accountability, transparency, and the public interest.”
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The commission’s report recommends ways the city can use AI to better manage programs and services, but also recommends ways to ensure using AI doesn’t do more harm than good.
On top of a list of individual steps Atlanta can take to integrate AI into government functions safely, the commission also recommended the creation of a permanent AI Advisory Board.
“These recommendations provide guidance for how Atlanta can lead responsibly in the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence,” Westmoreland said. “The work completed by the Commission positions the city to approach emerging technologies thoughtfully while maintaining public trust and ensuring these tools serve our communities effectively.”
The board will be chosen in the third quarter of 2026 and have its first meeting the following quarter.
Some of the recommendations include:
- Including harm and bias reduction to guide AI deployments
- Embed equity impact assessments when AI is used for procurement
- Ensure community groups are included when evaluating potential harm
- Invest in training, change management for use of AI
- Have frontline staff, related personnel go through role-specific training
- Provide staff with hands-on learning for AI tools
- Develop citywide AI literacy curriculum so employees understand best uses, benefits and risks
- Appoint heads of AI in key city departments
- Identify ways AI can help boost community engagement and enhance constituent services
- Prioritize workforce readiness, help close technology gap for residents
The full list of recommendations, and what the plan moving forward is, can be found online.
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