Understanding Prohibited Uses of Artificial Intelligence in County AI Policies
- 19 hours ago
- 3 min read
Many AI policies govern how to utilize AI in a safe and responsible manner. However, it is slightly less common to see a list of ways not to use AI.
Prohibited uses vary from organization to organization across different industries around the world. In the United States, county leadership and technology executives are consistently reviewing and updating their AI policies to account for new advancements and necessary safeguards against bias and data leaks.
AI policies are a crucial aspect of development, deployment, and usage of innovative AI systems. They govern responsibility throughout the entire AI adoption process, and our experts at Sedna are experienced in developing guidelines that are tailored to organizations in the public sector. Reach out to our team to learn more.
Read on to understand prohibited uses of artificial intelligence in county AI policies and why they are important in responsible AI adoptions.
Importance of Listing Prohibited Uses of AI
Counties that are reviewing their AI policies may be considering adding a list of prohibited uses. This enables safer and more responsible usage of AI tools in organizations that process large amounts of sensitive data and crucial systems that serve local communities.
By understanding how AI should not be used within a county setting, leadership and employees are able to:
Protect sensitive data
Mitigate and prevent bias
Ensure human accountability
AI is a powerful form of technology that requires necessary guardrails to function at its greatest potential without compromising privacy, safety, and trust — which is a huge factor in county operations and services. The more governance that is put into place when dealing with sensitive systems and information, the more public trust will build.
Pinal County Introduces Prohibited Uses in New AI Policy
In Florence, Arizona, Pinal County officials have developed and deployed a new AI policy to govern the use of AI for government agency workers. Their main goal for AI tools is to promote productivity, but in a responsible and ethical manner.
AI is to be used to generate a draft that requires human review and not as a final decision-maker, as per this new policy. Its authorized uses include the following:
Drafting emails and memos
Data processing
Conducting research
The prohibited uses include:
Creating legal documents
Making HR decisions
Knowingly creating false information
Creating election materials without approval from the communications department and county recorder
Generating artificial images, videos, and audio of people without their consent
Attempting to identify individuals from photos or audio
Sharing confidential data
Uploading documents without reviewing for private data
These prohibited uses apply to all government employees in the county, and violators may be subject to disciplinary action. By listing these, it is clear how AI tools should be used and how they should not be used. This policy guides responsible use of AI, ensuring no false information or images are created and that AI does not make final decisions in what is included in high-priority documents.
Lexington-Fayette Urban County Shares Policy to Regulate AI
Lexington-Fayette Urban County in Kentucky is also among those listing prohibited uses of AI tools in their governance policy. Outlining how employees can and cannot use AI helps not only with data privacy, but with public trust, according to the city’s chief information officer. The county aims to ensure that they are using the right technologies and in an appropriate manner.
Authorized uses include:
Assistance in writing documents
Summarizing materials
Aiding in research
Prohibited uses include:
Using sensitive information in an AI tool
Sharing public-facing AI-assisted documents without human review
Outsourcing decision-making to an AI agent
Using generative AI tools outside of Microsoft Copilot
This county promotes use of Microsoft Copilot instead of other generative AI platforms like Gemini and ChatGPT, citing its more robust data privacy and security protections. Employee activity is monitored on city-owned devices, allowing these rules to be enforced if there are any violations.
In addition, supervisors have the authority to prohibit employees from using AI at all, even if it is an approved use per the policy. Employees can request exceptions to the policy as well if they wish to use a different tool or use AI for a project or task that is usually prohibited. These guidelines are strict guardrails that govern responsible use of AI in order to reap its benefits with minimal risk.
AI policies govern the use of AI within organizations as the technology becomes integrated into operations and services across industries. In counties, large amounts of data and public trust are at stake, leading officials and technology professionals to carefully weave policies that enforce AI for the betterment of their work and their communities.
“No technology since nuclear fission will shape our collective future quite like artificial intelligence, so it’s paramount AI systems are safe, secure, trustworthy and socially responsible.”
— Elham Tabassi, Engineer & Government Leader
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