DC mayor Muriel Bowser recently  announced a mandatory Responsible AI training program for all government employees and contractors, reinforcing the district’s push to embed AI into public service in a safe and accountable manner. The self-paced training, delivered at no cost in partnership with InnovateUS, is designed to help the workforce use generative AI tools effectively.

“From day one, my administration has prioritized putting AI to work for DC residents in ways that are safe, equitable, and accountable,” Bowser said. “This training ensures that every DC government employee understands how to use AI responsibly — keeping people at the center of our work and maintaining the public trust that residents place in their government.”

Stephen N. Miller, DC Chief Technology Officer and Director of the Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO), said, “AI is becoming part of everyday work, and public servants deserve practical guidance to use these tools responsibly. This training helps put DC’s AI values into practice across every agency — with clear accountability, strong privacy and cybersecurity protections, and a focus on delivering real benefits for residents.”

Beth Simone Noveck, founder of InnovateUS and director of the Governance Lab, added, “Tackling today’s public challenges requires investing in the people who deliver public services. 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.”

The requirement builds on the mayor’s Order 2024-028, signed in February 2024, which established what the District describes as the nation’s first comprehensive framework for responsible AI use in city government. The framework is anchored in six principles: clear benefit to residents, safety and equity, accountability, transparency, sustainability, and privacy and cybersecurity.

Implementation of the training is supported by DC’s AI Taskforce, led by the Office of the Chief Technology Officer, with input from the AI Values Alignment Advisory Group, which includes community and stakeholder representatives.

District officials said the training reinforces a “humans in the loop” approach, underscoring that AI may support government work but does not replace human judgment or oversight.

The announcement also highlights DC’s use of approved enterprise AI tools that meet strict security and governance standards. For example, Microsoft Copilot Chat is available within the District’s Microsoft 365 environment, configured so that data remains within the government’s domain and is not used to train external vendor models. Access to other AI tools is restricted based on security and governance considerations.