The same New York City administration that launched a “Rat Action Plan” has now introduced an “Artificial Intelligence Action Plan.”
On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams revealed a citywide AI “action plan” aimed at assessing AI tools and associated risks, enhancing AI skills among city employees, and supporting the “responsible implementation of these technologies to improve the quality of life for New Yorkers,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office.
The city’s 51-page AI action plan outlines a series of steps that will be taken in the coming years to better understand and responsibly implement AI, a technology that has rapidly gained traction in the tech sector and broader business world.
While the use of automated technologies by the government has often sparked controversy, New York City’s current approach to AI appears to be focused on establishing a framework for future AI use-cases, as well as engaging with outside experts and the public.
The first step in the city’s AI action plan is to establish an “AI Steering Committee” composed of city agency stakeholders. The document lists nearly 40 “actions,” with 29 of them set to be initiated or completed within the next year.
The city plans to publish an annual AI progress report to update the public on the plan’s implementation.
Additionally, on Monday, city officials announced the pilot of the first citywide AI-powered chatbot designed to assist business owners in going through the challenges of operating and growing businesses in New York City.
The AI chatbot, already available in beta on the official New York City website, has been trained on information from more than 2,000 NYC Business web pages. The chatbot uses Microsoft’s Azure AI services.
In a statement about the AI action plan, Mayor Adams acknowledged “the potential pitfalls and associated risks these technologies present,” and committed to being “clear-eyed” about them.
The mayor also expressed hope that the action plan will “strike a critical balance in the global AI conversation—one that will empower city agencies to deploy technologies that can improve lives while protecting against those that can do harm.”
