The full Olot City Council unanimously approved last Thursday the regulation that governs the use of artificial intelligence in the municipal administration. The new rule establishes that no artificial intelligence system may be used without a prior risk assessment, authorization, monitoring, and human supervision.
The text incorporates criteria for data protection, transparency, traceability, non-discrimination, accessibility, and human control over decisions. It also bans particularly sensitive uses, including real-time biometric identification and the inference of emotions in work environments.
A control framework for municipal management
The Councillor for Innovation and Technology and Citizen Services, Neus Domènech, defended that the document puts order and guarantees in the use of this technology within public management.
"It brings order, criteria, and guarantees" - Neus Domènech, Councilor for Innovation and Technology and Citizen Attention
The municipal government frames this regulation within a broader deployment of data governance and digital transformation. Domènech linked the new norm to the future data office and to a municipal plan structured in five work axes.
In that process, the councilwoman assured that 95 surveys and 15 focus groups have already been carried out. To that are added another 10 focus groups underway. As she detailed, more than a hundred professionals from the City Council participate.
Unanimous support with warnings about the deployment
From Activem Olot, Jordi Rubio defended that the city cannot be left behind given the impact of artificial intelligence. At the same time, he warned that this technology should not be used to destroy employment. His group maintained that these tools should serve to simplify procedures, reduce burdens, and streamline internal processes, always with a final human decision.
The PSC also voted in favor. Marina Alegre supported that the regulation include principles such as transparency, human supervision, data protection, and non-discrimination. Furthermore, she demanded that citizens be able to know when an administrative decision has been assisted by automated systems and that they have guarantees to review it.
The CUP supported the text, albeit with reservations about its practical application. Jordi Gasulla recalled that his group promoted a motion in March 2023 with ten proposals to prepare the City Council for the impact of artificial intelligence.
"Three years that has been a save yourself who can" - Jordi Gasulla, CUP
Gasulla warned that the regulation may fall short if it is not accompanied by resources, personnel, training and a clear deployment schedule. He did positively value that the norm foresees a municipal register of algorithms.
Thirty days of public exposure
After this initial approval, the regulation is subject to 30 working days of public exhibition before returning to the plenary for its definitive approval. The municipal government also committed to sharing with the municipal groups the analysis carried out, the planned training route, and the evolution of the deployment.
The local executive's forecast is that the data office will come into force next quarter, with the idea of giving continuity to this framework of control over artificial intelligence within the municipal structure.