The city of Arlington has adopted new guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in its operations. The move is in response to the Texas Responsible Artificial Intelligence Governance Act, which sets boundaries for acceptable and unacceptable AI uses for governmental bodies.

Background

The Texas Legislature passed the law in 2025, and it took effect recently. The law prohibits the use of AI systems to collect biometric data without consent or to create a “social score” based on an individual’s behavior.

Arlington’s Chief Information Security Officer, Bryce Carter, said the city already uses AI in daily operations. The new policy creates a system for cataloging which AI systems are used and assessing the risk for unlawful harm, as well as security breaches.

The city’s uses of AI include the Public Works Department’s NoTraffic cameras, Arlington’s public chatbot, and Microsoft Copilot for city employees. Much of that work is already monitored by humans, Carter said.

Implementation

The new policy establishes that third-party vendors working with the city will need to ensure any AI systems used are in compliance with state law. It also requires some city employees to receive Texas-certified mandatory training on AI.

Arlington created a committee to evaluate the new software and AI systems before their introduction last year, Carter said. The city has standards for third-party usage of artificial intelligence, but tracking exactly what others are doing isn’t easy.

Carter said the city’s AI policy will need to adapt as the technology evolves. “There’s just so many of these AI models out there, and it’s changing so quickly,” he said.

Original reporting: Fort Worth Report — read the source article.