Authors: Nari Johnson, Elise Silva, Harrison Leon, Motahhare Eslami, Beth Schwanke, Ravit Dotan, Hoda Heidari
Abstract: Most AI tools adopted by governments are not developed internally, but
instead are acquired from third-party vendors in a process called public
procurement. While scholars and regulatory proposals have recently turned
towards procurement as a site of intervention to encourage responsible AI
governance practices, little is known about the practices and needs of city
employees in charge of AI procurement. In this paper, we present findings from
semi-structured interviews with 18 city employees across 7 US cities. We find
that AI acquired by cities often does not go through a conventional public
procurement process, posing challenges to oversight and governance. We identify
five key types of challenges to leveraging procurement for responsible AI that
city employees face when interacting with colleagues, AI vendors, and members
of the public. We conclude by discussing recommendations and implications for
governments, researchers, and policymakers.
Source: http://arxiv.org/abs/2411.04994v1
