Georges River Council is setting out how it plans to use artifical intelligence (AI) in its future operations in a transparent and responsible way.

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The draft Policy establishes a governance framework for Georges River Council's responsible use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

The council has released its Draft Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy for community comment.

The draft Policy establishes a governance framework for the council's responsible use of artificial intelligence aligned with the NSW AI Assessment Framework (AIAF) which sets mandatory AI governance for NSW Government bodies.

"It provides clear guardrails to protect personal information, maintain accountability, and uphold community trust, while still enabling innovation and operational efficiency," according to a Georges River Council report.

Key features of the Draft Policy include:

• Strong protections for privacy, data security and records management.
• A risk-based approach to managing AI.
• A public AI register to improve transparency.
• Clear rules to ensure human oversight of decisions.
• Alignment with NSW Government best practice.

"While AI presents significant opportunities, it also introduces risks if not governed appropriately," the council report states.

"These include the potential for misinformation, biased outputs, inaccurate results, and privacy or security concerns. Generative AI systems may also produce misleading or fabricated information, sometimes referred to as "hallucinations", highlighting the need for clear governance and oversight. AI technologies are increasingly capable of performing tasks traditionally undertaken by people, including drafting content, analysing data and responding to enquiries. This shift is expanding automation beyond routine processing into administrative and knowledge-based work."

The draft Policy covers all AI systems and tools used in the council's operations, regardless of hosting arrangement, and applies across all directorates incorporating the full AI lifecycle from planning through to decommissioning. It applies to all council officials as defined in the council's Code of Conduct.

Georges River Council mayor, Elise Borg said community input will help shape the final Policy.

"Our community's trust matters. We want to make sure AI is used in a way that is safe, fair and transparent," Councillor Borg said.

"I encourage everyone to have their say and help us get this right."

The Draft Policy is on exhibition until Friday July 3.

Community members are encouraged to share their views and help shape how AI is used across Council services into the future.