Four Fulton County proposals scored as likely AI-generated after a commissioner ran them through a detection tool. The findings sparked a public clash at the Thursday, Sept. 17 commission meeting.

Commissioner Dana Barrett said she used GPTZero, an online AI-detection tool, to analyze legislation introduced by Commissioners Marvin S. Arrington Jr. and Bob Ellis. The tool flagged all four items as probable AI output, assigning three a 100% likelihood and the fourth a 90% likelihood, Capitol Beat News Service reported via the Gwinnett Daily Post. Capitol Beat ran the same documents through GPTZero independently and got similar results.

The flagged items included two proposals to overhaul county ethics rules, one to abolish the seven-member Board of Ethics and one to limit public comment at commission meetings. The Board of Ethics hears complaints and renders advisory opinions on whether conduct violates the Fulton County Ethics Code, according to county records.

Barrett said the prospect of AI drafting ethics rules troubled her deeply, telling colleagues "it opens a can of worms for me."

Neither Arrington nor Ellis confirmed that AI wrote their proposals. Ellis said in a statement that he used technology tools to research his ideas and refine his thoughts, and that the county attorney's office reviewed his work. Arrington said separately that he had used similar tools but that they did not replace his judgment, informed by 30 years as a lawyer and 12 years as a commissioner. He likened the criticism to accusing someone of cheating for using a computer rather than a typewriter, as Rough Draft Atlanta reported.

Ellis, a Republican, dismissed Barrett's review as an overreaction. Arrington, a Democrat, accused her of playing politics and noted the irony of her using an AI tool herself to flag AI-generated writing.

Barrett said she used AI only to confirm suspicions she formed after noticing unusual language and formatting. She said she uses AI for analysis and editing of her own writing, not to draft legislation.

One of Arrington's three proposals, on food insecurity and community gardens, failed in a vote at the Thursday, Sept. 17 meeting. He held his remaining two items for a future meeting. Ellis also held his ethics resolution.

The Fulton County Board of Ethics hears complaints and renders advisory opinions on county officials' conduct. District 1 Commissioner Bridget Thorne represents Johns Creek on the board of commissioners. No public statement from Thorne on the controversy was found.

Arrington said he plans to introduce a comprehensive county policy governing AI use. He said he developed it with help from AI. Both Barrett and Arrington are set to leave office in the coming months.

The Board of Commissioners meets on the first and third Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m.