Dr. Robert Loy, assistant dean of the College of Engineering and Technology, is helming a series of artificial intelligence trainings for the city of Phoenix.
The training, for ARIZONA@WORK City of Phoenix, is designed to give city employees a practical, nontechnical understanding of AI and how it can be used responsibly to improve productivity, decision-making and service delivery across city departments.
The first training was Dec 19, and the final four will be in January and February.
“The training focuses on AI as a tool for everyday work, not as a replacement for employees or a deep technical discipline,” Loy said. “Participants are learning how generative AI can assist with tasks such as drafting emails and reports, summarizing documents, brainstorming ideas, organizing information, and accelerating routine workflows, freeing staff to focus on higher-value work that requires human judgment and expertise.
“An emphasis is being placed on responsible use of AI, including data privacy, security considerations, accuracy limitations and the importance of human oversight,” he said. “Employees are guided on what types of information should never be entered into AI systems and how to verify AI-generated outputs before using them in official city work.”
The series of five trainings also clarified the difference between search tools and generative AI, helping participants understand when to look up information versus when to use AI to generate, summarize, or transform content. Real-world, government-relevant examples are used to ensure immediate applicability.
The training is equipping ARIZONA@WORK partners and staff with a shared baseline AI literacy, confidence to use AI safely and appropriately, practical strategies to improve efficiency and productivity, and a clear understanding that AI is a supporting tool, not a decision-maker.
