ILCMA Professional Development Event: Digital Decisions - Navigating AI's Impact on the Modern Workplace
Full Session Overview:
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how organizations manage labor relations, workplace practices, and service delivery. For local governments, AI adoption raises legal, HR, and organizational challenges. This session brings together legal expertise and practitioner-informed research to provide city managers and directors with a holistic perspective on AI adoption.
Learning Objectives:
- Analyze Federal and State AI Compliance Requirements
- Assess AI Bias Risks and Mitigation Strategies
- Implement Best Practices for Legally Compliant AI Integration
- Evaluate HR-Specific Tensions in AI Adoption
- Develop HR Strategies for Workforce Development
- Understand the Role of Leadership, Organizational Capacity, and Culture in AI Adoption
- Apply Lessons from Preliminary IL SAIL-GOV Findings to Inform Local Decision-Making
Part 1 – Digital Decisions: Navigating AI’s Impact on the Modern Workplace
This session examines the current legal landscape surrounding the use of artificial intelligence in labor relations and employment practices. It will cover key federal regulations, including EEOC guidelines on preventing discrimination in AI-based hiring under Title VII and ADA requirements, as well as Illinois's AI video interview regulations and the recent amendment to the Illinois Human Rights Act. The session will also address critical issues of bias in AI systems, highlighting real-world cases and examining questions of disparate impact. Additional topics include workplace safety applications of AI and privacy concerns related to AI surveillance. Finally, the session will emphasize best practices for employers, including the importance of clear policies, bias mitigation strategies, and collaboration with unions to responsibly implement AI technologies while minimizing legal risks and maximizing benefits for both employers and workers.
Presenter: Melissa Hall, Attorney at Law, Ancel Glink
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Melissa “Mysi” Hall is a seasoned human resources professional with experience in public administration and employment law. As an associate with Ancel Glink, Mysi assists clients with drafting and reviewing personnel policies, ensuring compliance with evolving labor and employment laws and collective bargaining agreements, and providing guidance on the myriad of employment issues that arise for local government employers. Her combination of hands-on HR experience and legal expertise enables her to provide critical insights on workforce policies and help local governments navigate complex regulatory requirements and labor relations. |
Part 2 – AI Use in Local Government HR: Navigating the Paradoxes of Promise and Reality
AI adoption in local government HR is rarely straightforward. Drawing on interviews with HR professionals in Illinois municipalities, this segment explores the paradoxes managers face: efficiency vs. liability risk, objective hiring vs. amplified bias, process improvement vs. human connection, and technical skills vs. human-focused soft skills. Participants will learn how HR professionals are grappling with these tensions and gain practical insights for navigating workforce development strategies in the AI era.
Presenter: Jaehee Jong, Ph.D., Northern Illinois University (jjong@niu.edu)
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Jaehee Jong is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration at Northern Illinois University. Her research focuses on a wide range of organizational issues in public workplaces, specifically the interplay between organizations and employees regarding human resources (HR) and managerial practices. Actively engaged with local public officials, she connects her research to their practical concerns and contemporary challenges. |
Part 3 – Adopting AI with Caution: Insights from Illinois Municipalities
While compliance sets the framework, organizational realities determine implementation. Based on interviews with Illinois city managers and directors, this presentation highlights how municipalities are experimenting with AI tools, creating governance structures, and establishing guardrails despite limited resources. Findings from the IL SAIL-GOV project provide early evidence on adoption trends, barriers, and patterns of experimentation. Using the lens of craft, structure, and culture, Dr. Rho illustrates how leadership, organizational capacity, and values such as fairness and transparency shape AI adoption in practice.
Presenter: Eunju Rho, Ph.D., Northern Illinois University (erho@niu.edu)
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Eunju Rho is an Associate Professor of Public Administration at Northern Illinois University. Her research explores how local governments enhance performance and citizen trust through managerial practices, contracting, and emerging tools like AI and social media. She works closely with local government professionals in Illinois and collaborates internationally with scholars in the UK, Germany, and Korea to explore global approaches to AI and public management. Dr. Rho has received multiple awards for her teaching and research and serves on the editorial board of Public Administration Review, the top journal in the field. |
Addresses ICMA Practice Areas: 11 Technological Literacy; 13 Human Resources Management & Workforce Engagement