Westaway spoke to BBC Radio Gloucestershire as part of wider coverage on the use of AI across the county – a discussion which also included Chloe Turner, leader of Stroud District Council.
She explained how the council had been using AI for transcription, so staff can “concentrate on the bits where the human is really important”.
But Turner also expressed concerns more widely that AI was being rolled out “before we necessarily understand the risks”, as well as issues surrounding the technology’s impact on the environment and employment.
Turner said she had added AI to an upcoming Stroud District Council meeting agenda and councillors and staff have received some training on it.
“Personally, I’m quite a fan of humans, so I don’t particularly want to replace the human race with machines,” she said.
“I can see the economic upsides but I am concerned about job losses in future, particularly for young people, where a lot of entry-level jobs are potentially going to be replaced by this technology.”