Sinika Thomas, Member of the 16-Member National Committee
It took 16 years for mobile phone users to reach 100 million, seven years for the Internet, and just two months for ChatGPT powered by artificial intelligence. The astonishing speed of adoption of language/chatbot tools has mobilized a government leader to take a closer look at the possibilities and risks of his AI.
Current Wake County Commissioner Sinika Thomas has been appointed to serve on the National Commission of Inquiry on Artificial Intelligence launched by the U.S. government. National County Association. Mr. Thomas and his NACo Artificial Intelligence Review Board, along with his 15 other county officials from across America, will explore emerging policies, practices, potential applications and outcomes of AI. They will focus on county policies and practices, public trust, privacy and security, workforce productivity and skills development.
“We’re really at a tipping point with this technology,” said Chairman Thomas, who will be attending the 1st meeting of the AI Commission. So we want to work on that.” meeting next month. “This is a system that takes in and learns from all the texts on the internet, so that it can speak and write like we do. Not everything is accurate, in fact research shows that AI can be biased against women and people of color because it learns from biased information on the internet. I have.”
County leaders recognize that, like any emerging technology, there are wide-ranging implications, both known and unknown, and county officials are asking how to balance future expectations. We would like to be ready to participate in national, state-wide and local government discussions on which to choose. AI has inherent risks.
The Review Board will work with partners from various disciplines to explore AI in local government and propose the following processes:
- Assessing the current state of AI technology
- Identify potential applications of AI and associated benefits and risks in county government operations
- Evaluate AI risks and benefits related to employee productivity, mobility, and skills
- Explore county governance with implications for ethics, public trust, privacy and security
- Develop a preliminary policy and practice toolkit containing AI sample guidelines and standards
- Identify cooperation and partnership opportunities with various county stakeholders
- Advises on public policy issues that need to be considered by NACo’s Board of Directors and Policy Committees.
- Facilitate education and engagement opportunities for county officials, the NACo network and partners.
“AI presents tremendous opportunities and challenges. Counties will explore this growing technology frontier and ensure it is harnessed for the greatest benefit to their residents,” said NACo President Dennis. Mr Winfrey said. “I look forward to seeing the results of this committee’s efforts.”
The Review Board will meet in person and virtually at the NACo Annual Meeting on July 22nd. NACo is home to approximately 40,000 county-elected employees who collectively advocate for county government priorities in federal policy-making and promote good county policy and practice.
