Sioux County has adopted a new artificial intelligence policy for county employees as officials work to establish guidelines for the growing use of AI technology in government operations.
The policy, approved by the Sioux County Board of Supervisors earlier this month, is intended to help employees understand how to use artificial intelligence safely while protecting confidential information and maintaining accountability for information generated through AI tools.
Supervisor Craig Hoftyzer says county leaders recognize that artificial intelligence is becoming increasingly common and isn’t going away.
“AI is becoming more and more prevalent all the time. And so it’s certainly not going away. And so as it gets more and more use, we wanted to make sure that the county employees knew what standards were expected of them as they use it in their day-to-day jobs as well.”
Protecting Sensitive Information
Hoftyzer says the policy makes clear that certain information should never be entered into artificial intelligence systems.
The county prohibits the use of personal information, Social Security numbers, medical records, and other sensitive data in AI platforms. County officials say the policy is designed to ensure employees understand what information is off limits and how to use the technology responsibly.
Sioux County IT Director Micah Van Maanen says data security was a major factor in developing the policy.
“We want to make sure that our employees and those that use it, make sure that information that shouldn’t be put out there is not put out into the various AI engines, if you will.”
AI Still Requires Human Oversight
County officials also emphasized that artificial intelligence should be viewed as a tool rather than a replacement for employee judgment.
Hoftyzer says employees remain responsible for verifying the accuracy of information generated by AI.
“Whatever results are generated from that, it is still up to the employee or the supervisors or whoever’s using it to fact check it and make sure that that data and that information is accurate.”
Van Maanen said AI currently has limited use within county government and has primarily been utilized for general business purposes. However, he said the county will continue exploring ways to safely and correctly use the technology to better serve Sioux County residents.
