A cyborg on the City Council? Charter commission isn't so sure

May 14—ROCHESTER — Valmik Patel sees a future where implated biotechnology could guide an elected official's decision-making process.

"We are in the wild west," he said of the development of artificial intelligence that can make decisions without human input. "We don't know where this will lead us."

On Tuesday, the Rochester Charter Commission member proposed potential guidelines for AI use by elected officials , from banning decision-making implants to restricting software that can mimic human intelligence or produce false, but believable, data.

"I am very confident that I'm ahead of the curve here, but I don't think there is ever a better time to address this, or at least be thinking about this, than before it comes too late and all of a sudden we might have policy decisions that are made solely through AI without any human interaction," he told his fellow charter commission members, acknowledging such technology might be a decade or more away.

Rochester's home-rule charter, also known as the city charter, contains guidelines for a variety of local government operations, and the commission is tasked with proposing potential updates.

The commission reviewed options during a nearly 45-minute discussion Tuesday before deciding to revisit the issue at a future meeting, with its next meeting set for September.

Patel, who's serving his first year on the commission, said his proposal stems, in part, from work he sees in his role as a Mayo Clinic senior network engineer.

"This technology is rapidly going to change, especially here in Rochester, as our medical partners are going to start using this technology to offset a lot of administrative overhead off of our caretakers and clinicians," he said.

Without guidelines, he said the city oversight will be limited and emerging technology could shape future council decisions.

Some of his fellow commission members questioned whether the charter is the proper place to address the issue, especially since the technology is changing rapidly.

"The charter isn't a document that you put language in to have it be modified or reviewed on any kind of a frequent basis," commission member Kathy Meyerle said.

Charter changes require either a unanimous decision by the Rochester City Council or approval on a citywide ballot.

City Attorney Michael Spindler-Krage told the commission the city doesn't have a policy regarding the use of artificial intelligence, but the issue is being discussed. He also mentioned aspects of the proposed policies could emerge in the city's ethics policy, City Council rules or a city ordinance.

"That is perhaps a question that needs a lot of vetting," he said of how a new policy would be created.

Meyerle also questioned the potential restriction of emerging biotechnology that could help someone overcome a disability, such as the Neuralink brain implants being developed by a company founded by Elon Musk. The Neuralink work is seeking to create a brain-computer interface capable of translating thought into action.

The proposed charter change would allow use of such implants with proper state or federal approvals, but technology being tested would create a barrier. That could lead to discrimination, Meyerle said.

"I find that part a little disconcerting," she said.

Commission member Fred Suhler also questioned whether the proposed limits go too far, stating they create new standards for future council members.

"I don't think this board, acting as the charter commission of the city of Rochester, should be messing around with the qualifications for public office," he said. "I think if somebody should do that it ought to be the (Minnesota) Legislature."

Patel said the guidelines included in his proposed draft were designed to start the conversation, with changes expected to be made if the commission opts to move forward.

Commission member Hasan Mir said he believes the discussion needs to be about how artificial intelligence is used, rather than whether it can be used.

"I think at some point we will all use it in one way or another," he said, pointing to his personal uses to organize his work day.

He said City Council members likely use the internet and other technology to research potential policy decisions, and emerging technology can assist in that effort.

"Artificial intelligence will become one more thing they use," he said, noting that users need to be aware that human review is still required.

Commission member Randy Staver, who will be taking over as chairman at the next meeting, agreed, saying he uses artificial intelligence for some work, but knows the output must be reviewed for potential errors.

He said if an elected official decides to abdicate that responsibility, it would be challenging to create a policy that would change the outcome.

Patel said it might not change the results, but it could set a standard of expectation, similar to policies established with medical use of some software.

"The way things are (without a city policy), you could completely offload something onto AI and not face any repercussions," he said of the decision-making process.