Bringing Practical, Secure AI to City Government
The City of Harrisonburg, Virginia is taking a practical approach to adopting AI in local government. Staff are exploring what AI can do for their work, while the city keeps the cybersecurity and compliance standards public service requires.
- Who
- Bud Ritchie, Cybersecurity & Compliance Specialist
- Where
- City of Harrisonburg, Virginia
- What stood out
- An approved place for AI · Visibility for IT · Skills before scale
“It’s becoming pretty silly to think that our staff aren’t using these tools just because we don’t have a designated platform we’ve condoned as an organization.”
AI was already entering the workplace.
When the City of Harrisonburg began exploring AI, the goal was practical: help staff work more efficiently while keeping strong cybersecurity and governance in place.
Like many cities, Harrisonburg recognized that employees were already encountering ChatGPT and other generative AI tools. The real question was how to make sure staff used AI safely, responsibly, and productively.
“It’s becoming pretty silly to think that our staff aren’t using these tools just because we don’t have a designated platform we’ve condoned as an organization.”
For municipal IT teams, that reality brings a clear concern. Staff may turn to public AI tools to summarize reports, draft communications, or analyze data, and sensitive information can end up in outside systems.
Nearly 50%
of messages include sensitive information.
GovAI's Risk Center data shows how often staff handle sensitive information in everyday work. That is why approved access, visibility, and safeguards matter for local government.
Starting with practical internal use cases.
Harrisonburg started with everyday internal work before looking at resident-facing AI. Staff got comfortable using AI on tasks that deliver value right away, while implementation risk stayed manageable.
Successful AI adoption starts with people.
Harrisonburg’s experience reflects a broader lesson for local governments: responsible AI adoption takes more than access to technology. Staff need guidance, training, and confidence in how to use the tools well.
By giving staff a safe access point and building basic AI fluency across departments, cities can help employees apply AI to real work, from communications and finance to public safety and administration.
“A lot of AI investment right now is wasted because we’re not focusing enough on the human element actually training staff on how to prompt and what this can be used for.”
“About sixty-five percent of usage is what we call ‘produce’ staff asking AI to help draft or improve something they’re already working on.”
A framework for responsible AI adoption.
Based on what we see across government deployments, GovAI recommends three commitments to help cities, counties, and special districts move forward with AI responsibly.
A practical foundation for local government.
Local governments face growing demands, from staffing pressure to rising service expectations. AI can help staff spend less time on repetitive work and more time on work that benefits residents.
Getting there takes thoughtful implementation. With the right foundation in place, cities like Harrisonburg are showing that AI can become a practical part of everyday government work.
“The best place to start is building fluency across your organization ensuring staff have safe access to these tools and understand how to use them responsibly.”
GovAI
Built for local government.
GovAI is the AI work platform for local government. Staff use it every day to finish real work across departments, with guardrails built in.
Could your city be the next story?
Tell us about your organization, and we’ll show you how a rollout like this one could start for you.