President of the Municipal League and Mayor of Cave City serving on national AI committee

Cave City, Arkansas – Artificial intelligence, or AI, has gained a lot of attention in the past year.

The president of the Arkansas Municipal League and the mayor of a small town in Northeast Arkansas are both members of a National League of Cities group that aims to provide greater information to cities about the usage of this technology.

Cave City Mayor Jonas Anderson stated that the committee’s job is to distinguish between fear and reality.

“Our committee’s job is to basically demystify it. Dive into it and see what are some of the good things for cities. What are maybe some things we want to avoid,” Anderson said.

While he’s open to suggestions from other committee members, Anderson, an IT professional by day, stated he has a notion about what role artificial intelligence should play in local government.

“There are some pitfalls and things you want to avoid around cybersecurity and making sure that the data you’re putting in is secure and accurate, but overall, I think cities need to be on the forefront of it,” Anderson stated.

The committee is investigating all types of AI, not just a select few.

“Generative AI, from things like simple ChatGPT type stuff to ways that you can better serve residents,” Anderson explained.

According to Anderson, the committee’s mission is to develop guidelines for the safe use of AI, not to establish regulations for its application.

“Our goal is to put out a playbook for municipalities. Kind of just a guide to help them understand what AI can do for their city. Here are ways that you can use it. Here are some ways that you may want to be careful about using it,” Anderson added.

Before issuing their guidelines, the committee will convene three or four more times, both in person and by Zoom.