Legislative Placements: Alex & Information Services

This Fall, I had the pleasure of working with the Information Services (IS) branch and learning about their role in the legislative assembly. IS provides critical technological and informational services, such as developing the public website, assembly intranet, and assembly applications. The branch is also responsible for publishing and preserving data and ensuring it is searchable and accessible. 

Throughout my placement, I sat down with Director Steve Green and the IS managers to discuss the exciting projects their teams are working on. These projects range from overhauling assembly applications relied upon by members and staff, improving the search function on the website, developing a new library services platform, updating the new members’ orientation programme, and using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create draft Hansard transcriptions. We also talked about the challenges of preparing the assembly for the future of technological change while preserving its traditions.  

The highlight of my placement was having the opportunity to organize a roundtable discussion about the use of AI in the legislature. Staff from Information Services and Legislative Research shared their thoughts about the new AI-powered transcription tools being used to record House and Committee proceedings, how AI can be safely integrated into legislative services while meeting the high standards of the assembly, and the overall strengths and limitations of these technologies. 

I want to thank Steve, Julie, Erica, Rob, Yakov, and the rest of the Information Services team for welcoming me into the office and teaching me about their important work. Not only did I gain new appreciation for how they support the daily business of the legislature, but I was also inspired by their commitment to continually improving the availability of information for members and the public.