The Archuleta County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) heard from Information Technologies (IT) Coordinator Gabe Cersonsky during a work session held on Tuesday, Jan. 13, with Cersonsky reviewing a potential county artificial intelligence (AI) use policy.
Cersonsky explained that he felt there is a “need for us” to have an AI policy, explaining he looked at other policies adopted across Colorado and Utah, and “fine-tuned [it] for us.”
He mentioned the policy would provide a clean line of action to train employees on AI use.
Cersonsky read from the proposed policy, stating that it would “position the county at the forefront of responsible technology adoption,” noting, “that’s something we’ve always done.”
He added, “We like other counties to look at us to see how to do things.”
Cersonsky explained that he would work with each county department to figure out “how AI can assist them in their everyday jobs,” hopefully eliminating mundane activities.
“We have to start using AI or we’ll fall behind,” Cersonsky added.
Cersonsky cautioned that the county does not want employees to enter any personal identifying information when using AI, as that information is sent to the cloud.
He noted another reason to train employees is to protect certain information, such as personal health records.
“Even if we have an internal AI system, we have to be careful about that,” Cersonsky said.
He went on to explain that employees would not be able to post anything that is AI assisted without citing that AI was used or fact-checking.
“Everything that goes out has to have a human in between,” he said.
Commissioner John Ranson commented that he is “all for it,” mentioning that AI is good for summarizing long documents.
Commissioner Veronica Medina stated, “So, I’m concerned,” explaining that it has been in the news on a national level with people using AI and not fact-checking it.
“They take it as the gospel,” she said, mentioning that people can lose jobs over improper use of AI. “Frankly, it’s worrisome to me.”
In response to a question from Medina, Cersonsky indicated that the county would use one form of AI technology, but “right now it’s not in the budget.”
Cersonsky explained that the county did not discuss AI last year, “but AI is happening.”
Medina suggested that the county could have a disclaimer on its website that AI may be used for some things, and have it added to employees’ email signature lines.
“Even at the national level it’s a huge conversation because this is on the cusp of how it was when the internet came out,” Medina said, adding that the county has an “opportunity to slow-walk this.”
Commissioner Warren Brown expressed appreciation for Cersonsky bringing the matter forward.
“I think that it is an incredible tool, but just like social media was when it first came out, it can also lead to career-ending mistakes,” Brown said, noting the importance of training.
Brown indicated that the policy may be brought back to the BoCC for consideration during a regular meeting in February or March.
clayton@pagosasun.com
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