A joint team from Pitt Cyber and Carnegie Mellon University is exploring how government procurement can serve as a practical and powerful way to advance responsible AI governance. We focus on how existing procurement pathways can be reshaped as central intervention points to promote accountability and transparency in the acquisition of AI systems. Our work has produced a series of publications that examine real-world procurement challenges and propose actionable policy recommendations to support more responsible AI adoption across the public sector at the local government level.
Our academic paper, Legacy Procurement Practices Shape How US Cities Govern AI: Understanding Government Employees’ Practices, Challenges and Needs, will be featured in the 2025 ACM Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency (FAccT).
Our white paper, written to local government employees involved in procurement, IT innovation, and related departments, offers four points to consider while navigating the risks of procuring public-sector AI.
In response to the US Office of Management and Budget's Request for Information concerning "Responsible Procurement of Artificial Intelligence in Government" in 2024, we submitted comments, sharing insights from our interviews of city employees involved in procuring AI systems across the country.
Participating Researchers:
- Beth Schwanke, Pitt Cyber
- Elise Silva, Pitt Cyber
- Motahhare Eslami, Carnegie Mellon University
- Hoda Heidari, Carnegie Mellon University
- Nari Johnson, Carnegie Mellon University
- Ravit Dotan, TechBetter