The Austin City Council on April 24 adopted a citywide AI policy framework that directs city staff to study the environmental and equity impacts of artificial‑intelligence systems, require safeguards for city workers and expand transparency around municipal uses of automated systems.

Mayor Pro Tem Vanessa Fuentes sponsored the resolution (item 55), which the council adopted in an amended version after multiple public commenters and civic organizations urged stronger worker protections, clearer anti‑bias language and environmental safeguards for energy‑intensive data centers. The motion to adopt the resolution in its second version was moved by the mayor pro tem and seconded by Councilmember Jose Vela; the council later adopted a councilmember amendment to explicitly include gender identity and sexual orientation as protected characteristics.

Speakers in support included Steven Apodaca, a member of the city Technology Commission, who called the proposal a chance for Austin to build inclusive, accountable systems; Monica Guzman of Go Austin, Vamos Austin emphasized workforce protections and privacy; Kevin Welch, president of EFF Austin, urged human oversight and appeal rights when AI affects people; Mimi Styles and the Austin AI Alliance emphasized community engagement and equity; and AFSCME Local 1624 leaders urged protections that prevent displacement of city workers without negotiation.

Key elements of the adopted resolution include:
- Direction to the city manager to study and report on the environmental impacts of data centers and AI systems serving Austin, including energy and water use and the potential to include crypto mining in impact assessments (a public commenter recommended crypto be included and staff agreed to consider relevant categories);
- A requirement that city departments notify the public when automated decision systems are used, create human oversight and appeal pathways, and provide a program of digital skill building and public education;
- Protections for municipal employees, including a commitment that AI not be used to displace employees without consultation with labor representatives and a prohibition on the use of algorithmic productivity scoring that substitutes for human evaluations;
- A call for periodic risk assessments and public audits of systems deployed by the City of Austin.

Supporters framed the resolution as a civic leadership opportunity and urged the council to couple innovation with strong protections. Kevin Welch of EFF Austin summarized a technical risk with a commonly cited example: an AI trained to detect cancer learned to identify a ruler in images rather than the disease itself — "it learned something that was correlated with cancer in the images, but it didn't work to actually spot cancer," he said, noting historical data can embed discriminatory patterns. AFSCME representatives spoke in favor of a “no displacement without consultation” approach for city workers.

The resolution passed as amended; councilmembers across the dais asked staff to incorporate community input during implementation and report back with measurable benchmarks.

Ending: Council’s action creates citywide guardrails for municipal AI use and directs studies and worker protections; staff will prepare implementation steps and follow‑up reports for council review.