Artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful technology that can transform the way we live, work, and interact. While it can bring significant benefits to the public sector such as improving efficiency and productivity, enhancing service delivery, and informing policy decisions, it also poses various ethical, legal, and social challenges and risks.
Hence, a key focus for governments is to establish responsible AI procurement practices that provide the basis for public sector AI adoption and governance.
Commissioned by Microsoft, Access Partnership is developing a White Paper on Advancing Responsible AI Public Sector Procurement and Adoption in ASEAN which highlights the building blocks for progressive AI procurement practices for the public sector, how ASEAN Member States (AMS) have aligned to best practices, and how these best practices can be further propagated.
This paper highlights several key building blocks for ASEAN governments to enhance responsible AI procurement practices for the public sector:
- Procurement principles: Procurement principles should follow a careful assessment and thorough understanding of AI public sector use cases, bearing in mind the political, social, and legal landscapes they are embedded in and taking steps to mitigate potential risks.
- Fit-for-purpose budgeting approaches: Procurement budgeting approaches should reflect the long-term value and benefits of AI solutions, enabling multi-year commitments, consumption-based pricing models, and accounting for supplementary costs for upskilling and support services.
- Flexible procurement practices: Inflexible terms used in procurement agreements may be incompatible with AI solutions being procured and can restrict the contracting of AI solution providers. Flexible procurement practices can facilitate the procurement of AI technologies.
- Centralized procurement function: A centralized procurement function or center of excellence can streamline and coordinate AI procurement across public agencies, and leverage economies of scale and shared resources to reduce costs, standardize terms, increase transparency, and provide better service management.
- Enhanced capabilities and skillsets: Procurement officers need to be equipped with sufficient digital skills to deepen understanding of the benefits of AI and enable them to identify suitable AI providers to achieve desired digital transformation and policy outcomes.
- Practical considerations: Governments should account for practical considerations associated with AI procurement, including the safe usage of AI, data issues, ownership/IP issues, regulation and liabilities, and ethical challenges associated with the use of AI.
A soft launch of the White Paper can be accessed from the link below.
