Civic AI LabCity AI Governance Project

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.

Start the readiness assessmentReview a draft policy
Continuous review cycle: Inventory, Risk classification, Procurement review, Public oversight01Inventory02Risk classification03Procurement review04Public oversightCONTINUOUSREVIEW CYCLE
  • Free and adaptable
  • Built for local governments
  • Official-source state guides
  • Responses are not stored

The gap

What is most often missing when AI is already in use.

  • No reliable AI inventoryMissing
  • Unclear procurement standardsMissing
  • Inconsistent public disclosureMissing
  • Weak human reviewMissing
  • Uncertain accountabilityMissing

Entry points

Where to start

Three entry points, depending on whether you need instruments, state-specific guidance, or analysis.

01 · Instruments

Governance toolkit

Four instruments cities can adopt this quarter: AI use inventory, risk tier classifier, procurement checklist, and an AI use and transparency policy.

Open the toolkit →02 · Guidance

State guides

State-by-state guidance that separates enacted requirements from proposals, each with official sources and a verification date.

Browse state guides →03 · Analysis

Research notes

Short, sourced analysis on procurement, public records, and the gap between state AI policy and local implementation.

Read the notes →

The 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.

How AI enters city government
  1. 01

    Vendor software

  2. 02

    Procurement and renewals

  3. 03

    Staff adoption

  4. 04

    Public-service systems

  5. 05

    Public-safety technology

Toolkit

Four instruments cities can adopt this quarter

  1. 01AI Use InventoryAvailable

    Instrument

    Structured template for identifying AI-enabled tools across departments.

    Best for
    City managers, IT, department heads
    Output
    Departmental inventory with risk tiers assigned
    Open tool →
  2. 02Risk Tier ClassifierAvailable

    Instrument

    Framework for sorting AI uses by potential impact on residents.

    Best for
    Legal, privacy, procurement review
    Output
    Tiered classification (Tier 1 – Tier 4)
    Open tool →
  3. 03Procurement ChecklistAvailable

    Instrument

    Vendor disclosures and contract clauses for AI-enabled software.

    Best for
    Procurement, city attorney, IT
    Output
    RFP questions and model contract language
    Open tool →
  4. 04AI Use and Transparency PolicyIn development

    Instrument

    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
    Open tool →

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. It takes about five minutes, and responses are never submitted or stored.

Take the 12-question assessment

The assessment does not compute a compliance score. Levels reflect governance maturity and recommend concrete next steps.

Readiness scale · governance maturity

Four readiness levels rising from Ad hoc to AccountableLEVEL 1Ad hocLEVEL 2EmergingLEVEL 3ManagedLEVEL 4Accountable

State guides

State-by-state guidance for local officials

Each guide separates enacted requirements from proposals and displays a source-verification date.

StateKey topicsVerificationStatus
Florida →Public records · Records retention · Elections & synthetic mediaSource-verified July 16, 2026Available
California →Public records · Employment tools · Law-enforcement AI reportsSource-verified July 27, 2026Available
Colorado →Consumer protection · Public records · Law enforcementSource-verified September 22, 2026Available
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 — producing a starter map of current uses and 90-day action priorities.

Request a readiness conversation

Research notes

Short, sourced analysis for practitioners

All research notes

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 →