A public-interest governance project
Before your city adopts AI, build the capacity to govern it.
Practical tools for local officials to inventory, procure, classify, and oversee AI systems before they affect residents.
A practical path to local AI governance
- Free and adaptable
- Built for local governments
- Official-source state guides
- Assessment responses are not stored
The governance problem
AI is entering city government faster than cities can govern it.
Local governments are adopting AI through vendor software, public-service systems, staff tools, smart-city platforms, and public safety technology — often before anyone has mapped what is in use or decided how these systems should be reviewed.
The result is a governance gap: no inventory, unclear procurement standards, inconsistent public disclosure, weak human review, and uncertain accountability when systems affect residents.
The governance gap
- No reliable AI inventory
- Unclear procurement standards
- Inconsistent public disclosure
- Weak human review
- Uncertain accountability
Start here
A five-step pathway to local AI governance
Start with the assessment if your city has not yet mapped its current governance practices.
- 1
Assess readiness
Twelve questions to identify current AI governance posture.
Open → - 2
Build the inventory
Map AI systems in use — including features embedded in vendor software.
Open → - 3
Classify potential risk
Sort uses by impact so review effort matches exposure.
Open → - 4
Review vendors and contracts
Vendor disclosures, data reuse, audit rights, and exit terms.
Open → - 5
Establish transparency
Disclosure, records, human review, and appeal pathways.
Open →
Core toolkit
Four instruments cities can adopt this quarter
Instrument 01
AI Use Inventory
Structured template for identifying AI-enabled tools across departments.
- Best for
- City managers, IT, department heads
- Output
- Departmental inventory with risk tiers assigned
Instrument 02
Risk Tier Classifier
Framework for sorting AI uses by potential impact on residents.
- Best for
- Legal, privacy, procurement review
- Output
- Tiered classification (Tier 1 – Tier 4)
Instrument 03
Procurement Checklist
Vendor disclosures and contract clauses for AI-enabled software.
- Best for
- Procurement, city attorney, IT
- Output
- RFP questions and model contract language
Instrument 04
Template in developmentAI Use and Transparency Policy
Public disclosure and internal rules for employee AI use, documentation, records retention, human review, and accountability.
- Best for
- Council staff, communications, legal, records officer
- Output
- Template in development
Readiness assessment
Where does your city stand?
Twelve questions produce one of four readiness levels, with a short diagnosis, top risks, recommended next steps, and relevant toolkit pages.
- · Takes approximately 5 minutes
- · Responses are not submitted or stored
- · Produces prioritized next steps
Readiness scale
- Level 1 · Ad hoc
- Level 2 · Emerging
- Level 3 · Managed
- Level 4 · Accountable
The assessment does not compute a compliance score. Levels reflect governance maturity and recommend concrete next steps.
State guides
State-by-state guidance for local officials
AI governance is increasingly shaped by state law and policy. Each guide separates enacted requirements from proposals and displays a source-verification date.
Published guides
Florida
- Public records
- Records retention
- Elections & synthetic media
Source-verified July 16, 2026
View guide →AvailableCalifornia
- Public records
- Employment tools
- Law-enforcement AI reports
Source-verified July 27, 2026
View guide →Coming soon
- Colorado In development
- New York In development
- Texas In development
Working sessions
60–90 minute readiness sessions for city teams
The project supports city leadership teams with a focused conversation to identify current AI uses, high-risk gaps, and practical next steps.
Request a readiness conversationSession outputs
- 01 Starter map of current AI uses
- 02 Identification of the highest-risk gaps
- 03 Practical 90-day action priorities
Research notes
Short, sourced analysis for practitioners
- Policy noteRead note →
The Local Implementation Gap in State AI Regulation
Why state AI policy lands unevenly at the city and county level, and what durable capacities close the gap.
- Practice noteRead note →
Why Procurement Is AI Governance
Most municipal AI arrives through contracts. Procurement is where meaningful oversight actually happens.
- Policy noteRead note →
Why Local AI Governance Matters for Advanced AI Policy
Frontier-model debates often skip past the layer of government most residents interact with.
About
City AI Governance Project is an applied policy project focused on AI governance capacity in public institutions. It helps local governments ask better questions before adopting AI systems.
About the project →