Public sector IT association Socitm has published a sample corporate policy for the use of generative AI in local government.
The Society of Innovation, Technology and Modernisation has developed the policy with its partner association in New Zealand, the Association of Local Government Information Management, in response to the increasing interest in relevant technologies such as ChatGPT, Bard and Bing.
It said the policy document is intended as a framework for the use of GenAI for generating text of content for reports, emails, presentations, images and customer service communications.
There is an emphasis on promoting fairness and avoiding bias, with measures such as notifying the council’s information governance team of the technology’s use and consulting it if there are any doubts about the appropriateness of doing so.
Review and edit
Other steps include reviewing and editing any information generated before it is used, not entering confidential or personal information into a GenAI tool, adhering to copyright laws and disclosing when any content has been produced through the process.
The prospect of integration with other tools prompts Socitm to recommend that users follow the safety best practices set out by the OpenAI organisation.
The document also identified risks around legal compliance, bias and discrimination, security, and data sovereignty and protection.
Socitm has indicated that the policy will be subject to periodic review and updated as necessary.
It has published the framework shortly after the Cabinet Office produced guidance for civil servants, saying they should be open to using generative AI but also cautious about the information they enter.
