Molly Kleinman, managing director of the Science, Technology, and Public Policy program at the Ford School, delivered the keynote address at “Local and State Government in the Age of AI: Innovation, Civil Rights, and Policy,” a forum hosted by the Michigan Council on Government and Education on July 16. The event brought together leaders from across the state to explore the pros and cons of using artificial intelligence in the public sector.
“Across Michigan, local and state agencies are exploring AI to improve service delivery, streamline operations, and meet constituent needs,” said Addell Austin Anderson (MPP’ 80), Development, Innovation, and Access Specialist at the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR). “But with this potential comes important questions about ethics, transparency, data privacy, and civil rights.”
In her address, Kleinman shared highlights from STPP’s recently released AI handbook for local governments, a foundational resource that provides a risk-based framework for thinking about when and whether to use AI and how to do so responsibly and safely. Kleinman emphasized that even though there are examples of successful use cases of AI, the technology also carries significant potential for unintended harm.
The call for caution resonates with broader efforts in Michigan. As public agencies explore the opportunities and challenges that AI represents, the MDCR recently passed a resolution recommending a set of guiding principles for its use in Michigan. These principles emphasize the need for diverse stakeholder engagement to identify risks and unintended consequences before they are implemented.
Among the resolution’s recommendations are requirements that AI systems must not discriminate or disproportionately impact any protected class, that privacy be rigorously protected, and that residents be shielded from invasive data practices and biased algorithms. Transparency is also essential: people should know when AI is in use, and have access to human alternatives whenever feasible. To help uphold these principles, the Commission further recommended establishing a commission on responsible AI use, bringing together a broad coalition of experts and advocates from public service, technology, civil rights, and disability sectors.
While these principles are vital, Kleinman cautioned that putting them into practice is far from straight forward. In the absence of comprehensive federal regulation on AI use, it falls to states and local governments to chart their own course.
“Often we’re trying to use AI to provide a technical solution to a social problem,” Kleinman explained. “And often when things go wrong with AI, it’s not always the technology itself, it’s the choice to use a technology at all rather than humans.”
About the Council for Government and Education
Housed within the Michigan Department of Civil Rights (MDCR), the Council for Government and Education brings together leaders from local government and education to discuss challenges and opportunities around issues that impact communities throughout Michigan.
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