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City seeks community input on AI at open house
“It makes those routine tasks and research much more efficient.”
Local leaders, community members and City of St. Petersburg staff came together Tuesday evening to discuss an emerging technology that is affecting every industry: artificial intelligence.
An open house was held at the President Barack Obama Main Library. The event helped launch a community-wide public input initiative focused on the use of artificial intelligence in municipal operations.
“It makes those routine tasks and research much more efficient and that frees up time for our employees to work on other things that are more impactful,” Mayor Ken Welch told the Catalyst. “My approach would be not to cut positions, it would be to empower folks to make their positions more efficient going forward.”
He explained that it is essential to “have guide rails for our employees.” Welch’s “main concerns have to do with the unregulated use of AI at a higher level.”
In 2025, Welch supported the creation of a cross-departmental AI Task Force. This group was “directed to study how AI is being used and evolving, and to identify policies, processes and procedures to ensure the ethical and responsible use of AI,” according to the city’s website.
The task force helped develop an internal Generative AI Policy to “establish standards for acceptable use, training and approved tools within City government.” Generative AI refers to platforms such as ChatGPT, Claude and Google Gemini. The guidelines went into effect Aug. 3.
Administrative Policy 071200 prohibits staff members from entering confidential and personally identifiable information, sensitive security or infrastructure data, personnel, medical or legally protected records and criminal justice information into an AI system without written approval from the Chief Information Officer or a designee.
Additionally, it requires employees to verify any AI-generated content for accuracy and potential intellectual property issues.
READ MORE: St. Pete council weighs AI expansion after policy rollout
City director of government affairs and AI Task Force co-chair David Thompson explained that current internal policy only focuses on generative AI systems. He said that it was essential to make sure that residents had an opportunity to share their opinions before the City explores AI on a broader scale. Examples could include using systems in the permitting process or creating chatbots.
Community members can participate in the AI Usage Resident Survey until Sept. 10. To access the questionnaire, visit this link.
“Right now, our use of AI is really limited and that’s intentional,” Thompson said. “Right now, we have those generative AI licenses. If a staff member wants a license, it has to be approved by a supervisor with a justification and then there is a training that they must take about responsible and ethical use before they’re granted that license. There’s also a limited use of AI in our marketing team with regards to a photo management software.”
Once input is collected, he added, the AI Task Force will reconvene and members will assess “what we’ve learned.” This will guide the next steps.
Thompson anticipates that the City will introduce a “broader policy” regarding how AI is used on a larger scale. The St. Petersburg City Council unanimously voted Aug. 6 to refer a proposed citywide AI strategy to the Public Services and Infrastructure Committee.
Dr. Emmanuel Hernandez-Agosto, College of Business dean at St. Petersburg College, believes that it is invaluable for individuals to learn about AI.
“The reality is that the market dictates a lot of what we do and consume,” he explained. “Anything that has market adoption and capital infusion definitely will force other people to use it. Right now, for example, if you want to use any Microsoft Office product, you have AI in it. Phones are coming with AI. That’s not your choice because that’s the manufacturer or the company’s choice to add that to enhance their own products.”
Education can help individuals better “maximize a decision that someone else made,” Hernandez-Agosto believes. More so, it can help people determine how to use AI efficiently and ethically.
Currently, there are a lot of discussions regarding the morality of AI. He said that a person’s values can be different depending on their culture.
“Sadly, the tool is a reflection of the human for good or for bad,” Hernandez-Agosto added. “The tool doesn’t know what is ethical and what is moral and what constitutes the conglomerate of that particular culture and how people were brought up.”
St. Petersburg resident Meghan O’Keefe is the executive director of Tampa Bay Tech, which is a nonprofit council that develops programming, networking opportunities and a variety of initiatives to support individuals and companies in the local tech ecosystem.
“I think there’s a lot of different opportunities with AI,” she said. “I know for us, a lot of people seem to be nervous about job loss. But, I think there’s a lot of new job opportunities whenever there’s a new technology emerging.”
O’Keefe said that AI can be a catalyst for innovative solutions. Additionally, it can open doors to “new companies that can create new roles for people.”
She argued that the technology can help municipal governments become “more efficient.” Many cities do not always have the “funding” and “workforce” needed to serve residents. For example, she said that AI could be used in the customer service process.
Transparency is key, O’Keefe added. Cities need to “understand AI and really all of the data that comes with it because they have to make sure that they are protecting their residents and their information.”
