Minutes of the City Council Roundtable/Working meeting held on August 6, 2026.

CC 2026-86 FIRST IN COUNCIL September 14, 2026 City of Cambridge Minutes of the City Council Roundtable/Working meeting held on August 6, 2026. A true copy; ATTEST:- Paula M. Crane, Interim City Clerk

City of Cambridge Minutes of the City Council Roundtable/Working meeting held on August 6, 2026.

1 MINUTES OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE/WORKING MEETING Thursday, August 6, 2026 A Roundtable/Working Meeting of the Cambridge City Council on Thursday, August 6, 2026. The meeting was called to order at 1:31 p.m. by the Honorable Mayor, Sumbul Siddiqui. Pursuant to Chapter 20 of the Acts of 2025 adopted by the Massachusetts General Assembly and approved by the Governor, this public meeting was remote via Zoom. The Chair, Mayor Siddiqui called the meeting to order and asked the Clerk of Committees to call the roll. Councillor Al-Zubi – Absent Vice Mayor Azeem – Present/Remote Councillor Flaherty – Absent Councillor McGovern – Present/In Sullivan Chamber Councillor Nolan – Absent Councillor Simmons – Present/In Sullivan Chamber Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler – Present/In Sullivan Chamber Councillor Zusy – Absent Mayor Siddiqui – Present/In Sullivan Chamber Present – 5, Absent – 4. Quorum established. Mayor Siddiqui offered opening remarks (Attachment A) and noted that the Call of the meeting was to discuss the City of Cambridge’s ongoing and future work in using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve services—including comparative examples—while ensuring any AI use aligns with City values, complies with legal and privacy requirements, and benefits both employees and the public. Present at the meeting was City Manager, Yi-An Huang, Chief Information Officer, Jay Fusco, Assistant City Manager for Finance, Claire Spinner, Strategic Initiatives Advisor, Jane Licurse, Director of Economic Development, Pardis Saffari, Legislative Aide to Mayor Siddiqui, Evan Teplensky, and Summer Fellow in the City Manager’s Office, Matt Witalec. Mayor Siddiqui recognized City Manager Huang for opening remarks. City Manager Huang, Jay Fusco, and Pardis Saffari gave a presentation titled “AI Roundtable Discussion”. The presentation was provided in advance of the meeting and included in the Agenda Packet (COF 2026-108). Mayor Siddiqui recognized Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler who shared that the City should be cautious and practical about beginning the use of AI. Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler pointed out that AI can still produce errors. Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler asked for more information related to how the City plans to use AI internally and externally with the public. City Manager Huang responded by noting that it is important for the City to review the technology where it could provide meaningful benefits. City Manager Huang explained that the City will be focusing on uses of AI that are helpful for the community and have low risk of causing problems if errors do occur, noting that the next step would be reviewing which technology would be most

2 beneficial. Mayor Siddiqui pointed out that the City should focus on how AI can help within departments, adding how some are already using AI to help with permitting, grant applications, and language access. Jay Fusco explained that the City is reviewing the proposed use of AI before they are put in place for use. He added that the City needs to make sure it’s information is accurate and current for AI to be reliable and provide correct answers to the public looking for specific information. Mayor Siddiqui recognized Councillor McGovern who shared excitement and concerns related to AI. Councillor McGovern spoke in favor of the City exploring opportunities that AI can provide, but noted it is important to be aware of the risks that may come with it. Councillor McGovern emphasized the importance of education and making sure people are verifying the information received from AI instead of just automatically trusting it. Mayor Siddiqui recognized Vice Mayor Azeem who suggested that the City avoid using AI tools that directly interact with the public for right now until the City can be sure the information being provided is accurate. Vice Mayor Azeem shared that AI should begin with employees in small groups and test using paid AI tools for certain work tasks. The Vice Mayor emphasized that AI tools should be helping employees, not replacing them. Mayor Siddiqui asked what paid AI tools the City currently uses and how they compare with Microsoft Copilot, which is available for employees to use now. Jay Fusco explained that most paid AI tools are currently being used within the IT Department and added that the City has around 100 enhanced Microsoft Copilot licenses that have been given to Strategy and Communications Teams to test. Jay Fusco noted that the City could expand access if the enhanced version is useful. Mayor Siddiqui recognized Councillor Simmons who emphasized that community engagement, fairness, and access should be part of the City’s AI planning from the beginning. Councillor Simmons spoke strongly about the community having opportunities to learn about AI, including multilingual education, and resources for people who may not have access to AI technology. City Manager Huang agreed that it is important to discuss how the City uses AI and how AI may affect the larger community. City Manager Huang added how Cambridge is home to many companies, researchers, and institutions that are involved in AI and pointed out how AI technology can become an important part of the City’s future economy. Mayor Siddiqui shared that there are existing efforts to educate residents and businesses about AI, such as workshops for small businesses and programs offered through the library. Pardis Saffari provided more information related to how the Economic Development Division has been helping small business owners and the importance of free AI education and training through the library and the state. Councillor Simmons raised concerns related to AI producing biased or discriminatory results and that the City should be aware of whose information is used to develop AI systems and if those systems are fair for different communities. Jay Fusco provided a brief overview of the City’s AI guidelines that were created in 2025 and added that a working group was also established. Councillor Simmons asked who serves on the working group and emphasized the importance of having a diverse group of people, including race, ethnicity, gender, income levels, and employees in different City jobs, not just those in leadership roles. Jay Fusco shared that Department Heads recommended employees for the working group and that the members

3 represent different City departments. Councillor McGovern suggested creating a stronger connection with the AI working group and the City Council, possibly through the Mayor’s Office, so that the City Council can remain involved and informed going forward. Mayor Siddiqui agreed with the concerns raised by Councillor Simmons related to discrimination and that the effects AI can have on people should remain a priority as the City develops programs. Mayor Simmons asked how employees have responded to Copilot and if staff are finding it useful. Jay Fusco shared that opinions have been mixed, with some finding it useful and with others preferring to use alternative tools, such as ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini. Jay Fusco added that the City may test a more advanced version of Copilot more broadly before deciding whether another tool would be better for employees. Vice Mayor Azeem shared that AI should be treated like other workplace tools, making it useful for certain employees and tasks, but not something everyone needs to use. The Vice Mayor added that the City should review where AI can save time and make work easier, rather than trying to add to everyone’s job. Mayor Siddiqui recognized City Manager Huang who shared that this is only the beginning of the City’s discussion about AI. He agreed that the City should focus on specific uses where AI can help employees work faster and improve their work. The City Manager emphasized that employees using AI tools should always check for mistakes, bias, and other risks. He also acknowledged concerns raised about bias and errors and said the City should focus on uses where those risks can be reviewed and addressed. City Manager Huang suggested that the City should have regular public discussions about what the City is testing, how well it is working, and how AI is being used so the community understands what the City is doing. Mayor Siddiqui shared that she is interested in whether AI can help to improve services for residents and make employees’ work easier. She agreed with comments by Councillors that the City needs safeguards for bias, privacy, security, transparency, and human oversight. Mayor Siddiqui noted that this is only the beginning of the conversation and that she looks forward to future discussions with the City and the community on AI use. Mayor Siddiqui recognized Councillor McGovern who made a motion to place COF 2026- 108 on file. Clerk of Committees Erwin called the roll. Councillor Al-Zubi – Absent Vice Mayor Azeem – Yes Councillor Flaherty – Absent Councillor McGovern – Yes Councillor Nolan – Absent Councillor Simmons – Yes Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler – Yes Councillor Zusy – Absent Mayor Siddiqui – Yes Yes – 5, No – 0, Absent – 4. Motion passed. Mayor Siddiqui recognized Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler who made a motion to adjourn the meeting.

4 Clerk of Committees Erwin called the roll. Councillor Al-Zubi – Absent Vice Mayor Azeem – Yes Councillor Flaherty – Absent Councillor McGovern – Yes Councillor Nolan – Absent Councillor Simmons – Yes Councillor Sobrinho-Wheeler – Yes Councillor Zusy – Absent Mayor Siddiqui – Yes Yes – 5, No – 0, Absent – 4. Motion passed. The Roundtable/Working Meeting of the Cambridge City Council adjourned at approximately 2:35p.m. Attachment A – Mayor Siddiqui opening remarks (not verbatim) Clerk’s Note: The City of Cambridge/22 City View records every City Council meeting and every City Council Committee meeting. The video for this meeting can be viewed at: https://cambridgema.v3.swagit.com/videos/395520