Balancing AI growth and staffing in San Mateo County

“I want to make sure basically as the county implements AI that we’re using it as a tool, a sophisticated tool, for county employees but not to replace county employees,” Mueller said. “I am excited about potentially what AI can bring in terms of advancements in all sorts of areas, but I think it’s important as we do that we still make policy decisions about the security that we provide people in our workforce.”

The idea for the resolution came to Mueller as he began to hear that various county departments were considering adding AI systems into their practices. Having long heard concerns about technology replacing employees, Mueller said his goal is to get ahead of concerns staffing levels will be reduced as AI becomes more prevalent, possibly encouraging employees to embrace AI tools.

In addition to maintaining high morale among county employees, Mueller said protecting staffing is good for the local economy given that many county employees are also county residents. While AI advancements present benefits the county will want to embrace, Mueller acknowledged ensuring stability for employees is vital.

Mueller noted AI technology is advancing beyond performing mundane tasks and envisions the tool could be implemented across departments from County Health to the Assessor’s Office and planning and public safety departments.

“This discussion on the interplay between AI and how it affects the worker is something that needs to be talked about openly and publicly in public policy but in the public sector and private sector,” Mueller said. “It’s something that will have a tremendous impact on our economy in the next 15 years and I hope this sort of sparks that discussion.”

Julie Lind, executive officer of the San Mateo County Labor Council, the umbrella organization representing 95 affiliated local unions and more than 80,000 union members, lauded Mueller’s resolution in an email statement Thursday.

“Supervisor Mueller’s resolution is the first of its kind that I know of in California; it may even be one of the first in the nation. As we continue to see technology advance, it is imperative that changes are integrated responsibly and not at the expense of a large swath of our workforce. I thank the supervisor for his leadership and look forward to continuing to collaborate with him on efforts to ensure the future of work remains bright for working people.”

The resolution comes as other local leaders seek to create guardrails around AI tools. State Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, and Assemblymember Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto, both recently announced legislation aimed at creating more transparency around when AI is used to create content and to prohibit the creation, ownership or distribution of child sexual assault material created with AI.

On transparency, Mueller said it will be important the public is made aware when AI is being used in county work and that a system is developed that allows residents to ask a human to verify work performed using AI.

Mueller also stressed the importance of not losing the “intangible human experience” employees provide such as intervening when they get a gut feeling something may be wrong. As AI tools are implemented, he suggested employees could be retrained to perform other services.

“I wanted to write a policy that continues to put people first, but also allows us to enjoy the benefits of [artificial intelligence] as well,” Mueller said. “We want to have the best tools and resources available to serve the public but we also want to value our employees and their families and put workers first.”