Maine Towns Embrace AI Amid a Policy Void

An AI Second Opinion in Hiring

In Winthrop, Maine, Town Manager Anthony Wilson found himself with a stack of resumes for a general assistance administrator position. After creating his own mental ranking of the candidates, he decided to try something new: he sought a second opinion from ChatGPT. By feeding the job description and the resumes into the AI, he asked it to rank the candidates. The result was a list remarkably similar to his own. The candidate that both Wilson and the AI ranked at the top was ultimately hired.

“I would not have relied fully on AI to make those sort of decisions, but it did help to confirm that I was analyzing those resumes correctly,” Wilson noted.

Navigating the AI Frontier Without a Map

This story from Winthrop is becoming more common across Maine. As generative AI systems and other specialized tools become more powerful, they offer a way for businesses and governments to handle a growing range of tasks. For Maine's hundreds of local governments, which often struggle with staffing, AI presents a tempting solution. However, officials are beginning to experiment with these tools in a landscape nearly devoid of policies to guide them, raising questions about accuracy, bias, and data privacy.

Without clear policies, there's significant leeway in how officials can use AI. Justin Cary, a lawyer with Drummond Woodsum and a member of a state task force on AI, warns of the uncertainty this creates. “At all levels of government… there are very murky expectations around how to use artificial intelligence technology when a policy is not in place,” he said. “The implications of that often aren’t considered.”

Pioneering Policies and Internal Guidelines

To address this gap, the Maine Municipal Association is now drafting a model AI policy for its members. Some towns are moving faster. Winthrop is considering a set of proposed regulations from Wilson that would prohibit the use of sensitive information. For now, the town uses AI to refine written communications, but Wilson sees potential for more complex applications like budget analysis.

Camden has taken a different approach. While its select board hasn't passed formal regulations, the town operates under a detailed set of internal guidelines. These guidelines classify AI usage into low, medium, and high-risk categories, each with a distinct approval process. Low-risk uses, like summarizing documents, need department head approval, while high-risk uses like hiring or policing would require a formal policy. The town currently uses AI to monitor road conditions, draft meeting minutes, and may soon use it to help with property revaluations.

“Everything has to stop and start with a human,” said Camden Town Manager Audra Caler, emphasizing accountability. “The ultimate responsibility is always going to lie with the human whose job it is to perform whatever task.”

Specialized AI Tools in Action

Beyond general-purpose AI like ChatGPT, towns are adopting specialized tools. Caribou and Brewer have used Placer AI, a controversial location-tracking system, to analyze event popularity for marketing purposes, relying on the technology's own terms rather than municipal policies.

AI is also entering the world of law enforcement. Residents in Oakland voted to purchase AI-powered body cameras from Axon that can automatically generate police reports from audio recordings. While officers are expected to review and approve these reports, Oakland Town Councilor Dana Wrigley confirmed the town council did not set specific rules for this process, leaving it to the police department. In contrast, Lewiston is also preparing to use Axon's technology but already has a policy in place governing the AI generation of work documents.

The Path Forward for AI in Local Government

While some Maine towns are eager to be early adopters, others are taking a wait-and-see approach, according to Kate Dufour of the Maine Municipal Association. But the trend is clear. Winthrop's Town Manager, Anthony Wilson, believes preparation is essential.

“It is coming, and so we need to be prepared to use it in a way that helps us to deliver public services both more effectively and more efficiently,” he said.