By:  Hellen Zaboulani

On Monday, Mayor Eric Adams rolled out a plan to govern the use of artificial intelligence in New York.

As reported by Crain’s NY, the city government also got a new AI-powered chatbot to answer questions from business owners.  The mayor’s AI “action plan,” put our 37 actions that the city should take to get the upper hand on the swiftly evolving technology. The recommendations were compiled with input from city employees and experts from academia as well as industry leaders. Many of the strategies there are standard, such as creating an AI Steering Committee, instructing city agencies on how to publicly report their use of AI, establishing an advisory network to garner feedback from experts in the field, and publishing of an annual AI progress report.  It also enables responsible AI acquisition with AI-specific procurement standards or guidance to support agency-level contracting.

The 51-page action plan is the first of its kind released by a major U.S. city, taking a major step to cement NYC’s position as a leader in the responsible use of innovative AI, Adams boasted. “I am proud to introduce a plan that 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,” said Mayor Adams.  For years, local governments have been scrambling to come up with a response or guidance on how best to harness AI, or whether to ban the new technology fearing its potential dangers.  “We are not running away from AI,” Adams said during a City Hall press conference. “We are going to properly govern how we use AI in a responsible way.”

Adams unveiled the city’s new website, MyCity Business.  Using an AI chatbot, it is intended to be the “one-stop shop” for small business owners, trained to answer questions based on 2,000 separate webpages and articles about obtaining city permits, complying with codes, and other pertinent topics for business owners.   The city was on the hook to create the website, thanks to a bill passed by the City Council last year.  Officials say the chatbot can expeditiously respond to business owners’ questions about health inspections,  the state’s licensing process, and even how to open a cannabis dispensary.   “For small business owners, time is money,” said Kevin Kim, commissioner of the city’s Small Business Services department. “Thanks to the chatbot, your new executive assistant, you will never have to waste time going from page to page, looking for the information you want and need.”

Per Crain’s, previously, under former Mayor Bill De Blasio, NYC had made its first plunge into AI, in 2018 with an algorithms task force, and again in 2021 with the city release of a lengthy AI Strategy.  Adams’s Administration says the new plan builds on those previous efforts.

The speedy advancement in artificial intelligence has led to a host of concerns over risks, including chatbots’ potential to repeat false information if so directed, a risk of built-in bias in the underlying data, and potential lack of oversight over the large companies which develop the technology.  On Monday, Adams tried to soothe those fears in his address, saying New Yorkers shouldn’t liken AI to the nightmarish technologies portrayed in the 1980s “Terminator” films.  “Take a deep breath, get a grip,” Mayor Adams said. “It is going to help us function better in the city.”