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Washington, DC, Mayor Muriel Bowser has officially signed an executive order to integrate artificial intelligence (AI) technologies within local government operations to boost the city’s service delivery and efficiency.

In a statement, Mayor Bowser said, “We are going to make sure DC is at the forefront of the work to use AI to deliver city services that are responsive, efficient, and proactive.” The initiative seeks to leverage AI to refine city services, improve data management, and foster a more effective, inclusive government.

The executive order establishes an advisory group to guide public oversight on AI, ensuring projects benefit residents and adhere to principles of “safety, equity, accountability, transparency, sustainability, and privacy.” Additionally, a government task force will collaborate across agencies to generate governance policies, with each agency tasked to draft AI strategic plans over the next three years. Mayor Bowser said, “With these guiding values, we will make sure that when we use AI, we are responsible and we use it in a way that aligns with our DC values.”

Stephen Miller, DC’s interim chief technology officer, expressed enthusiasm about AI’s potential to improve governmental functions, stating, “We look forward to the potential that AI has in improving government services for the benefit of all residents in Washington, DC.”

The announcement, made at the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center, also hints at future collaborations with Microsoft’s Azure AI Government Cloud.