In June, Mosman Council released its plan to establish 4,700 new homes at the state government’s behest. If you looked closely at the imagery provided for this plan — which would fundamentally alter the face of Mosman village — a few small details stood out as strange.
A make of Toyota ute that doesn’t seem to exist. Indecipherable language printed on road signs. Pedestrians with one too many limbs. All the tell-tale marks of generative AI imagery.
From correcting grammar in emails to generating planning imagery, AI is being used by local governments. But how should that use be policed and regulated? North Shore councils are currently grappling with this question.
AI: The AI revolution has been swift and forced. Most North Shore councils are playing catch up. Only North Sydney and Hunters Hill have a formal policy in place guiding the use of AI. Others are in the process of drafting or receiving feedback on their policies.
All say that AI is used to some degree by council staff.
The approach of each council ranges from “cautious and responsible” to “proactive and considered”.
Professor Kimberlee Weatherall, co-director of the Centre for AI Trust and Governance at the University of Sydney, recently conducted a study of how local and state government entities use automated decision making and AI.
She told the Lorikeet it was likely that even if a council didn’t have a formal policy, AI was still being used by staff “in a shadow sense”.
“[They] use it on personal devices. They'll use it in unapproved ways”.
North Sydney’s policy requires the use of a private, secure AI platform and for clear records and disclosure of AI use.
Staff are also required to undertake training in “AI capabilities, limitations, ethical considerations, and privacy obligations”.
What is it used for? North Shore councils told the Lorikeet their use of AI was limited to grammatical corrections and formatting of text. Ku-ring-gai said it was used for research purposes, while Willoughby used it for “preparing summaries, analysing information” and “supporting customer service processes”.
When asked about the use of AI generated imagery, Mosman Council said it was produced by “planning professionals” and was “designed to assist the community in understanding what such a built form may look like under the masterplan”.
Asked about the specific example of Mosman's masterplan, Weatherall said that use of generative AI in this context could be useful, but emphasised the importance of transparency.
While the Mosman Masterplan described images as an artist’s impression, it didn’t say whether AI was used in their creation.
Cost-cutting: The ability to cut costs by outsourcing work to AI may be attractive to many councils, particularly those facing dire economic circumstances.
Weatherall said this may result in rate revenue being paid to big tech rather than local workers.