AI is the new intern at San Jose’s City Hall: Mayor Matt Mahan uses ChatGPT to draft speeches and budgets

The city of San Jose is setting a precedent in the public sector’s adoption of artificial intelligence, with Mayor Matt Mahan openly integrating AI tools like ChatGPT into day-to-day governance and policy work.

From drafting speeches for ribbon-cutting ceremonies to helping shape the city’s $5.6 billion annual budget, Mahan and his team have embraced generative AI as a time-saving instrument that reduces administrative burden. “Elected officials do a tremendous amount of public speaking,” said Mahan. “You can knock out these tasks at a similar or better level of quality in a lot less time.”