Aspen Policy Academy

NYC to Adopt Fellows’ Generative AI Projects

  • Article Published November 14, 2025

We are pleased to announce that the New York City Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI) is planning to adopt generative AI policy proposals from our Summer 2025 Science and Technology Policy Fellows. OTI’s Assistant Commissioner Alex Foard announced this news when the projects debuted at our Policy In Action event on Thursday.

Fellows Hande Güven and Jessica Wang proposed updates to OTI’s AI Action Plan, suggesting more user-friendly guidance on how city agencies can responsibly implement generative AI. Their proposed framework helps unify city agencies’ protocols under NYC’s AI Principles, setting an example of how to balance safety and innovation. 

“Keeping our planning and guidance current is one of our top priorities, which the Academy fellows were critical in helping with this year,” said Assistant Commissioner Foard at the event. OTI plans in early 2026 to publish an updated framework based on our Fellows’ draft. Read Hande and Jessica’s full proposal here.

Fellows Blair Palmer and Julia Lane recommended an oversight framework for NYC’s computer vision technology — a type of tech that uses cameras and sensors to “see” and analyze the world. Their guidelines featured a tiered structure, allowing differing guidance based on each computer vision tool’s unique privacy risks. Assistant Commissioner Foard said that OTI looks forward to using the Fellows’ framework as the foundation for its new computer vision policies. Read Blair and Julia’s full project here.

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