Town of Pelham
AI Policy
About the Art
Carved in marble, this modernist sculpture holds two organic forms in a balance that shouldn’t work — a smooth, weighted mass resting on a single point of contact with the curved base beneath it, gravity seemingly suspended. That impossible equilibrium speaks directly to the Town of Pelham’s AI Policy: a framework built to hold two forces in the same careful balance, encouraging the adoption of powerful new tools like AI while ensuring the oversight, transparency, and accountability required to use them responsibly. Neither form in the sculpture dominates the other; each depends on the other’s exact position to remain upright. In the same way, the policy treats innovation and responsibility not as opposing forces, but as a single structure — one that only holds together when both are given equal weight.
Original artwork by Aedán Crooke of Surface Impression. No AI was used in generating this artwork.
A municipal policy sets approval, privacy, security, equity, human review and disclosure requirements for staff use of AI.
Pelham’s AI Policy tells the public when substantive AI-generated content is used and sets rules for approval, privacy, bias review and human accountability across municipal operations.
Pelham’s AI Policy sets public rules for how Town staff may use artificial intelligence, including when AI-generated material must be identified.
Approved by Council in September 2025, the policy establishes a framework for responsible, transparent and forward-looking AI use. It addresses privacy, data security, equity and human oversight.
The policy encourages staff to explore approved AI tools for activities such as research, data analysis and communications. At the same time, it requires AI tools used for Town business to be approved by the Manager of Information Technology. It also prohibits staff from entering confidential or sensitive Town data into AI systems unless appropriate enterprise controls and data protection measures are in place.
The policy links AI use directly to public transparency. Staff must review AI outputs before using them in an official Town capacity. Substantive text, images, audio, video and code generated using AI must be attributed. Preliminary uses are exempt when staff substantively develop and own the final content. AI-generated outputs created through Town work are considered Town property and must be managed according to the Town’s records retention practices.
The policy recognizes that AI systems are not neutral and may reinforce bias and structural inequities, including racism, sexism and ableism. Staff are expected to validate, verify and critically assess AI-generated information before using or sharing it.
Pelham’s policy shows how a municipality can encourage innovation while giving residents clearer expectations about privacy, accountability, disclosure and human responsibility in public-sector AI use. Those rules remain public as use evolves.
