Agenda Summary
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That the City of Somerville adopt the Artificial Intelligence Ordinance as detailed within.
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Official Text
CITY OF SOMERVILLE
ORDINANCE NO. 2026-
IN CITY COUNCIL: ________, 2026
Be it ordained by the City Council, in session assembled, that Chapter 2 of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Somerville is amended as follows by inserting the following Article X.
ARTICLE X. OVERSIGHT OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE SYSTEMS
Sec. 2-515. - Use of artificial intelligence systems.
(a) An artificial intelligence system (AI System) is a computational system that generates predictions, risk scores, classifications, recommendations, content, summaries, or decisions using a computational process derived from machine learning, natural language processing, artificial intelligence techniques, or other computational processing techniques of similar or greater complexity, rather than explicit human authored rules. A city department, agency, board, commission, or office (city body), or a third party acting on behalf of a city body (city agent), may not acquire for use, or use, an AI System used in any of the following ways:
(1) law enforcement action, including arrest, search, investigation, assignment of a civil penalty, referral for prosecution, or creation of an official law enforcement record, such as a police report, incident summary, or investigative note, that may be used in a subsequent legal proceeding; or,
(2) determination of eligibility for, access to, or continuation of city employment, or social services or resources including public benefits, housing assistance, grants, or constituent services.
(b) An application or system that includes AI functionality as an optional feature, such as a word processor, GIS system, or graphic design tool, may not use the AI functionality in the ways disallowed in subsection (a).
(c) An AI System that causes or contributes to disparate outcomes on the basis of race, color, or national origin may not be used.
Sec. 2-516. - Use of Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (Sensitive PII)
Sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (Sensitive PII) means any of the following: full name, mailing address, email address, phone number, Social Security number, driver's license number, passport information, biometric data, location data more precise than a ward, financial information, or medical records. Sensitive PII does not include anonymized or aggregate data that is not individually identifiable.
A city body or city agent may enter Sensitive PII into an AI System if the city body or city agent:
(a) ensures the Sensitive PII is encrypted;
(b) ensures the Sensitive PII is not retained by an AI System in storage outside of the control of the City
(c) ensures the Sensitive PII is not used to train an AI System, without the express written consent of the city;
(d) does not sell, license, or otherwise disclose the Sensitive PII to a third party; and,
(e) does not transfer the Sensitive PII to federal immigration authorities or to an entity that could foreseeably use the Sensitive PII for immigration enforcement purposes.
Sec. 2-517. - AI usage report.
(a) The mayor’s office shall submit a report to the City Council on or before March 31 of each year. The report shall list the AI Systems the city has purchased, contracted, or developed in the previous calendar year, including both new and continuing arrangements.
(b) The report shall include the following for each AI System:
(1) the product name and the vendor name;
(2) a plain-language description of the AI System and its specific purpose;
(3) the type of data the AI System processes, including whether the system processes Sensitive PII;
(4) a summary of any assessment that the city has access to of the potential impacts on the privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties of individuals and communities, including communities of color and other marginalized communities;
(5) an estimate of fiscal costs, including acquisition, implementation, ongoing operation, and personnel training; and,
(6) a summary of any known litigation, regulatory actions, or public audits involving the system, vendor, or developer.
(c) The mayor's office may withhold information required under subsection (b) from the AI usage report, if disclosure of that information poses a demonstrable risk to the security of a city information system or data, and shall include a written disclosure of the basis for the security risk finding in place of the withheld information.
Sec 2-518. - Transparency.
(a)1 If a city employee uses an AI System to generate all or nearly all of the content that appears in a document, including text, images, data analysis, or summaries, excluding editorial or assistive tools such as spelling and grammar correction and formatting assistance, the user shall include a written disclosure that conforms with standards set by the AI use policy.
Sec. 2-519. - Enforcement.
(a) The mayor's office or the mayor's designee may enforce this article. The mayor's office or the mayor's designee may investigate a potential violation of this article and may issue a compliance order to a city department. A city department and city personnel shall cooperate fully with an investigation.
(b) The city shall include in a contract with a city agent a requirement to comply with this article. A city agent that knowingly violates this article is in breach of the contract. The mayor's office or the mayor's designee shall enforce this article against a city agent according to the AI use policy.
(c) A resident of Somerville who believes that a decision affecting the resident's rights was made in violation of this article may file a complaint with the mayor, the mayor’s designee, or the city council.
(d) A violation of Sec. 2-515(a) constitutes an injury.
Approved:
President
Approved:
Mayor