Questions people ask

“Won’t this kill jobs?”

This isn’t a rule about whether automation gets used — it’s a rule about who’s accountable when it makes a consequential decision. A company can still use a camera network, a claims algorithm, a scheduling system. The ordinance we’re asking for just says: when that system’s decision affects someone’s life, a named person has to review it and stand behind it. That doesn’t require fewer workers; if anything, it requires someone whose job is to actually look.

“Isn’t this anti-technology?”

The name is “automate ethically,” not “don’t automate.” Two of our three pillars are about building better technology, not opposing it — see what we build. We think automation is coming whether or not anyone organizes around it, which is exactly why the accountability question matters now, while the rules are still being written.

“Isn’t this already the law somewhere?”

In most places, no. Montana’s HB 178 is the clearest example of a state already requiring human review of AI-driven decisions by state agencies — but that’s one state, and it only covers state agencies, not cities, counties, school boards, or private companies operating in your town. See the multistate.ai legislation tracker for what’s actually on the books where you live.

“Why start with city councils instead of Congress?”

Because that’s where this actually gets decided, and where a handful of people can still be heard. There are 1,561 AI-related bills moving through 45 state legislatures this session (multistate.ai, Mar 2026) — most of that work happens at the state and local level, not in Washington. Most council meetings pass with almost nobody in the room; a handful of neighbors speaking on the same issue is a lot of leverage for very little effort. See how to find your meeting.

“Who’s behind this? Are you raising money?”

No, and here’s exactly why. Soliciting political contributions triggers FEC and state campaign-finance registration requirements — becoming a registered political committee is a real legal process, not a checkbox, and we haven’t done it. So we don’t ask for money, we don’t have a donate button, and if anything on this site ever reads like a fundraising pitch, that’s a bug — tell us. Right now this is neighbors, builders, and organizers, working in the open, asking for time and attention instead. See the movement for the full picture, including the software projects this same principle is built into.

“What if my city already does this well?”

Great — say so at the meeting anyway. A council that’s already doing the right thing benefits from public support for keeping it that way, and your comment becomes part of the record other towns can point to.