Mayor Bowser Signs Order Defining DC’s AI Values and AI Strategic Plan

(Washington, DC) – Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser signed a Mayor’s Order outlining actions that DC Government is taking to harness the power of artificial intelligence (AI) in government services and how DC Government and the community can benefit from this new technology. The Mayor also announced DC’s Artificial Intelligence Values Statement and Strategic Plan, which will ensure that the District’s use of generative AI aligns with DC values.

“We are going to make sure DC is at the forefront of the work to use AI to deliver city services that are responsive, efficient, and proactive,” said Mayor Bowser. “With these guiding values, we will make sure that when we use AI, we are responsible and we use it in a way that aligns with our DC values.”

The Bowser Administration and the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) are committed to using AI to improve city services, increase efficiency, better manage and analyze data, and create a more effective and inclusive government. In pursuit of those goals, the Mayor’s Order outlines the following actions:

• Defining DC’s AI Values, which will serve as the cornerstone of implementing AI solutions in District government. These values will be weighed whenever AI solutions are proposed within District government, and only solutions congruent with all six values will be adopted.
  • DC’s AI Values are: Clear Benefit to the People, Safety & Equity, Accountability, Transparency, Sustainability, and Privacy & Cybersecurity
• Establishing an Advisory Group on AI Values Alignment, comprised of public and government members to ensure public oversight of District government’s AI adoption efforts. The Advisory Group will monitor agency AI adoption efforts and advise the Mayor on how well District government has done in promoting and adhering to DC’s AI Values.
• Convening an AI Taskforce of government personnel to work with agencies to produce key governance policies, procedures, and documents throughout 2024, and to begin a three-year process of helping every agency develop specific AI strategic plans. The taskforce will be overseen and organized by OCTO.
• Setting AI Benchmarks for District Government by imposing a schedule of deadlines through Fiscal Year 2024 for the creation of core components and planning documents that will shape DC’s AI Strategic Plan. These include plans for AI training at the agency level and processes for ensuring privacy and cybersecurity are preserved as AI technology is deployed by agencies.

Through these actions, the Mayor’s Order provides a robust roadmap for integrating generative AI into government operations and positions DC to be a nationwide leader in AI adoption. Generative AI can be thought of as a machine-learning model that is trained to create new data, rather than making a prediction about a specific dataset. A generative AI system is one that learns to generate more objects that look like the data it was trained on.

“The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) is at the forefront of finding safe, equitable ways to harness the power of AI in government services and how DC Government — and the people we serve — can benefit from this new technology,” said Stephen Miller, Interim Chief Technology Officer “I look forward to the potential of AI in improving government services for the benefit of all residents in Washington, DC.”

Today’s event took place at the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in Downtown DC. As OCTO has evaluated AI and workforce technology solutions, Microsoft has been both a global thought leader and served as a key partner in identifying and adopting those solutions and planning for the future. Already, District government utilizes Microsoft 365 as a productivity tool and DC agencies are poised to take advantage of Microsoft’s Azure AI Government Cloud as they pursue AI solutions.

“Through the integration of AI, the District aims to provide more personalized and efficient services to its residents.” said Fred Humphries, Corporate Vice President of U.S. Governmental Affairs at Microsoft. “Mayor Bowser's commitment to embracing innovative solutions, such as AI, demonstrates her dedication to creating a more responsive and citizen-centric government.”

For more information on DC’s AI Values and Strategic Plan and to apply to join the Advisory Group on AI Values Alignment, visit techplan.dc.gov/aivalues.
 

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