Many lawmakers in small communities spend a lot of time and effort on their behind-the-scenes work to create laws and make it possible for the public to understand it. So some people are turning to tools that help save time – artificial intelligence.
It is used frequently by one Northern lawmaker. However, we believe that it is too many problems to ensure that it is used with such a critical ability.
“What I do is ask some sort of question I usually need answers,” said Cliff Olney, a member of Watertown City Council.
Olney aims to draft an e-bike policy or resolution in the city.
“As you know, I'm watching “Hello Chat G. “I need your help in drafting a solution for the implementation of e-bike policy in Watertown.”
Olney uses ChatGpt AI to help draft that solution.
“I think it's just a tool that we can use to create a better product and a tool that gives us a better understanding of everything we're working on,” he said.
However, not everyone on Watertown City Council believes that the use of this technology is appropriate.
“There have been many instances where ChatGpt and similar technologies have proven that they don't always depend on being accurate,” Watertown Mayor Sara Pierce said.
The mayor is not alone.
“I don't know if that will help people who make tough decisions that reach desks in the city government, right?” said Joshua Dar of Syracuse University.
Darr is an associate professor at New House School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.
He says he fears he is worried about not only the accuracy of AI, but also about government, all the approach it may bring. He points out that not all cities are the same.
“I think it's great to get ideas from other places, but it may not be a path forward in all cases to take other people's ideas and place them on your street,” he added.
Councillor Olney claims they are his idea and will save you a massive time.
“This is simply a program that creates ways to take your thoughts, analyze them, polish them, and communicate them to the public who make more sense,” Olney said. “For example, you go through a policy in another city, and then you go, say, you come up with everything, put it in a folder, and spend 4-5 hours researching the exact same topic.”
Meanwhile, Dah believes he tells us that he doesn't specifically about Olney, but that he doesn't know him or how he works, but in general he fears that taking shortcuts in government could lead to even greater issues.
“If you're willing to cut corners, if you want to save a lot of time, you're cutting a lot of corners. You don't know what the product will look like for the people in that town or city,” Dah said.
Olney believes he is doing things the right way, but anything he submits to the Council, the AI, or himself has been approved not only by the full Council, but also as well.
Currently, both mayors and professors say there are cases in which the use of AI is beneficial, especially when conducting double-check work or background research and comparing it to other studies.
