DC announces responsible AI training for government workforce

The announcement comes as DC is days away from its two-year anniversary of the Mayor’s Order 2024-028, signed on 8 February 2024, which established the nation’s first comprehensive framework for responsible AI use in city government. The order sets clear expectations for how AI may be used across the DC Government, requiring agencies to demonstrate how AI tools requesting to be implemented will align with the six DC AI Values established by Mayor’s Order 2024-028, which are: 

• Clear benefit to residents 
• Safety and equity 
• Accountability 
• Transparency 
• Sustainability 
• Privacy and cybersecurity.

Workforce training is a core pillar of that framework. By ensuring employees and contractors share a baseline understanding of responsible AI use, the District is translating policy principles into day-to-day practice across agencies.

Implementation is supported by DC’s AI Taskforce, led by the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, and informed by public engagement through the AI Values Alignment Advisory Group (AIVA), which brings community and stakeholder perspectives into the District’s AI governance.

DC’s approach emphasises that employees and contractors remain accountable for appropriate AI use. The training reinforces DC’s “humans in the loop” approach by clarifying when AI may support work – and when human judgment, oversight, and review are beneficial.

Consistent with its governance framework, DC Government has approved enterprise AI tools that meet high standards for privacy, cybersecurity, and data protection. For example, Microsoft Copilot Chat is available under DC Government’s Microsoft 365 environment and is configured so that data remains within the District’s domain and is not used to train vendor models. Access to other AI tools is limited based on security and governance considerations.

InnovateUS delivers free online learning for public service professionals by public service professionals on data, digital, innovation, and AI skills with an emphasis on evidence-based, participatory, and collaborative approaches. Governed by a coalition of public sector learning and innovation leaders, InnovateUS is presented by a team at the Burnes Centre for Social Change at Northeastern University.

“Tackling today’s public challenges requires investing in the people who deliver public services,” said Beth Simone Noveck, founder of InnovateUS and director of the Governance Lab. “This training gives DC employees clear, practical guidance to use AI responsibly in their daily work serving residents. The focus is squarely on using AI to improve services while protecting public trust and accountability.”