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Presenter and Author: Merve Hickok
President, Center for AI and Digital Policy; Founder, aiethicist.org
Responsible data and AI advisor, MIDAS; Adjunct faculty, School of Information, University of Michigan
We buy AI systems, but do we ask the right questions? This book is an early warning to public officials, policymakers, and procurement practitioners on the impact of AI on the public sector. Many governments have established national AI strategies and set ambitious goals to incorporate AI into the public infrastructure, while lacking AI-specific procurement guidelines. AI is not traditional software, and traditional processes are not sufficient to meet the challenges AI brings. Today’s decisions to embed AI and algorithmic systems into public system infrastructure can – and will – have serious repercussions in the future.
The promise of AI systems is to make the public sector more efficient, effective, fair, and sustainable.
However, AI systems also bring new and emerging risks which can impact rights and freedoms. Therefore, guardrails are necessary to consider the socio-technical dimensions and impact on individuals, communities, and society at large.
It is crucial that public sector decision-makers understand the emerging risks of AI systems, the impact on the agency and the wider public infrastructure, and have the means to independently validate vendor claims. This book is a result of interviews with more than 20 public procurement professionals across countries, offering an in-depth analysis of the risks, incidents, governance practices, and emerging good practices around the world, and provides valuable procurement policy and process recommendations to address and mitigate these risks. Merve also provides a comparative analysis of the global major AI governance frameworks (such as OECD AI Principles, UNESCO Recommendation on AI Ethics, EU AI Act, US Executive Orders, and NIST AI Risk Management Framework).
About the Author:
Merve Hickok is the Responsible Data and AI Advisor to MIDAS, the President of the Center for AI and Digital Policy, and the founder of AIethicist.org. She is a globally renowned expert on AI policy, ethics and governance. Her contributions and perspective have featured in the Guardian, CNN, Forbes, Bloomberg, Wired, Scientific American, Politico, Protocol, Vox, The Economist and S&P. Her research, training and consulting work focuses on the impact of AI systems on individuals, society, public and private organizations – with a particular focus on fundamental rights, democratic values, and social justice. She provides consultancy to C-suite leaders, and training services to public and private organizations on Responsible AI development, due diligence and governance. She also teaches data ethics at University of Michigan, and serves as a Board member in multiple organizations.
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