Seattle approves Copilot for city staff

Seattle will give city employees access to Microsoft Copilot Chat while blocking unapproved AI tools under a new artificial intelligence governance strategy outlined by Katie Wilson, Mayor of Seattle.

In a public letter setting out the city’s AI vision, Wilson said Seattle has an opportunity to become “the best place in the world for the development of responsible AI tools that enhance human flourishing and serve the public good”.

Beginning immediately, city employees will be able to use Microsoft Copilot Chat for day-to-day tasks. At the same time, the city will block “generally available AI tools which have not been fully reviewed and approved for city use”.

“Our city employees are the backbone of so many of the essential services our communities rely on,” Wilson said. “We want to equip our teams with the tools they need to create, learn, and do their best work while having peace of mind that these tools won’t violate the public’s trust and privacy, harm the people we serve, or take away our employees’ jobs.”

The mayor said employees would not be required to use the technology but argued that cities have a responsibility to adapt to technological change.

“I don’t believe that simply burying our heads in the sand will prevent these tools from being used,” she added. “As a city, we have a responsibility to keep up with technological change to better serve our residents.”

According to the letter, hundreds of city employees participated in early testing of Copilot Chat and “overwhelmingly reported positive results”.

Seattle will create a dedicated City AI Officer role responsible for overseeing ethical AI adoption, coordinating work across departments and serving as “a public point of accountability” for AI data governance.

Wilson said the city will develop an AI auditing process modelled on work in the European Union, aimed at creating standards across procurement and use of generative AI products in city operations.

The administration also plans to create a public-facing AI register and AI hub showing how AI tools are used and governed across departments.

Beyond internal operations, the city plans to explore AI use cases “like permitting acceleration” while also considering workforce impacts, environmental concerns, bias reduction and data centre infrastructure demands.

Wilson described AI as potentially transformative, but said governments must shape how the technology is deployed and how its benefits are shared.

“I am committed to using the city’s public policymaking power to shape an AI future that centres human flourishing and ensures we do not socialise the costs of AI or privatise all of its benefits,” she said.

Main image: Mohamed Ahmed Soliman | Dreamstime.com