Insight Session: The politics, power, and responsibility of AI procurement with Bianca Wylie

​Insight Session: The Politics, Power, and Responsibility of AI Procurement with Bianca Wylie

​In this session, we'll explore the role public sector procurement plays in shaping the political, ethical, and operational landscape of AI adoption - and refusal - in public service delivery, with a focus on local government.

​Led by Bianca Wylie, a digital governance thought leader and practitioner, we will unpack how procurement processes are an opportune site to intervene in conversations about the current and future use of AI in the public sector. We’ll discuss how local officials and public servants—such as urban planners, lawyers, and other decision-makers—can use their fiduciary duties and professional responsibility to consider if and how AI technologies serve the public good, rather than undermine trust or worsen inequalities.

​Bianca will share insights on how residents can hold local governments and AI vendors accountable, and explore the role public procurement plays in addressing power dynamics within AI policy-making. The session will center on practical steps and frameworks that can help align AI procurement with ethical standards, local needs, and long-term public interests. We will also invite you to share your ongoing work on these issues, to share strategies, and to explore ideas where these tactics and approaches can be shared in different contexts.

​This session is for those that are keen to learn more about the role of procurement in shaping AI politics and the levers of power that we can pull to slow—and ideally stop—immature technologies from being embedded in civic systems.