The city is one of the top data center markets in the U.S. The infrastructure is playing a key role in AI advancement, and a recent surge in market growth sets the stage for broader AI adoption in the region.
The Atlanta AI Commission launched in 2024 to help city government understand how AI could help improve services, mitigate the impact of budget constraints, and offer recommendations for the future. In recent months, its members met publicly to review emerging industry standards and varying policy approaches and to gather input from technology leaders, city departments and community stakeholders.
Their research yielded a final report, which arrived Monday.
“The work completed by the Commission positions the city to approach emerging technologies thoughtfully while maintaining public trust and ensuring these tools serve our communities effectively,” Councilmember Matt Westmoreland, AI Commission chair, said in a statement.
Commissioners offered various steps for the city to take in pursuit of responsible AI deployments.
Some recommendations focused on AI’s potential risks. For example, harm and bias reduction should be used as a lens through which to evaluate and govern AI systems.
Equity impact assessments should be embedded into AI procurement processes to assess who will be affected and the potential disparate impacts. Community groups should have a voice in evaluating potential harms to provide the context of lived experience. Workforce readiness initiatives among the city’s residents can help close gaps as AI widens digital inequities.
Other advisements focused more on the impact to city government operations. The Commission suggested the city invest in AI training and a citywide change management program to help prepare staff for changing responsibilities. It recommended identifying practical AI use cases to improve constituent services and community engagement. And it proposed creating a centralized AI system inventory of all AI systems in development, pilot, procurement and use.
The recommendations also addressed governance. The city should establish clear metrics to evaluate AI outcomes, per the Commission. The city can also guide AI adoption through AI-specific cybersecurity and privacy requirements and formal data quality standards for AI. Finally, independent auditing and periodic review requirements for high-impact AI systems can help the city evaluate the technologies’ performance.
The report highlights one overarching, final recommendation: create a permanent city AI advisory board to implement its suggestions and guide AI use in a rapidly evolving landscape. This board would be co-chaired by CIO Jason Sankey and Senior Technology Advisor Donald Beamer and composed of eight to 10 members who meet quarterly. The report recommended the board be assembled in the third quarter of 2026, and hold its first meeting in the fourth quarter.
“I look forward to presenting these recommendations to my Council colleagues, and working together to review them for potential legislative and administrative action — in coordination with City leadership, stakeholders, and relevant departments,” Westmoreland wrote in the report.
The recommendations are slated to be introduced through legislation in June, according to a city press release, with administrative actions to follow. Updates on implementation are expected in the coming months.
