Seattle mayor pumps the brakes on the city’s AI chatbot adoption

Source Domain: www.opb.org

Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson paused the citywide rollout of Microsoft’s AI Copilot chatbot after taking office, shifting from her predecessor’s aggressive AI agenda.
Former Mayor Bruce Harrell had initiated a significant AI plan in Seattle, which included testing Microsoft’s Copilot with 500 city employees.
Initial feedback from the test group was positive, highlighting Copilot’s potential to boost productivity by saving employees an average of two and a half hours each week.
Wilson’s administration decided to pause the rollout to align AI strategies with their priorities while ensuring responsible AI adoption.
The city continues to conduct educational sessions about AI tools and is working on data governance and readiness despite the pause.
Seattle maintains a formal AI policy adopted in 2023, which emphasizes data attribution, bans certain AI uses, and requires human oversight for AI-generated content.
While the rollout of Copilot is delayed, Seattle’s IT department is preparing to report quarterly on AI usage, starting with the April report.

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