AI experts call for national guidance on local authority procurement

The research finds a lack of coherent support and guidance for those procuring AI in local government, and that some areas need significant improvement

The Ada Lovelace Institute (Ada) has called for the creation of a national taskforce to support the procurement of AI technology in local government.

It has made the recommendation in a new report on the issue, Spending Wisely, based on its research into how procurement of AI is working in the sector. This is the second report in Ada's Procurement of AI and data-driven systems in local government project.

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In this second report on its examination of AI in working in local government in England, Ada says a redesign the landscape for the procurement of AI in local government is needed.

Mavis Machirori, Senior Researcher at Ada, notes: "While AI technologies are being introduced rapidly, our research finds that there is a lack of coherent support and guidance for those procuring AI in local government and that some areas need significant improvement.

"As current guidance is not sufficient to aid local government to procure AI effectively, this paper calls for the creation of a national taskforce to help break down silos and ensure a consistent, collaborative approach to the procurement of AI in local government."

The report adds: "Despite the best intentions of local government procurers, interviewees told us that some local government procurement teams are buying AI because of the pressure to be innovative, save money and not be left behind. Even if buying AI is the right solution for specific societal challenges, procurers do not seem to have adequate time or resources to conduct due diligence on the implications of their decisions."

Confusing landscape for the procurement of AI

There is a confusing landscape for the procurement of AI, says the report, where diffuse guidance and narrow legislation limit what procurers can do effectively in practice.

• Poor data and infrastructure are impacting local government procurers’ ability to maximise insights from data, including attending to their statutory data and equality duties.

• There is technological uncertainty of how AI works in general and this impacts how well procurers can evaluate its outcomes. This uncertainty emerges from gaps in understanding of what AI technologies are and how they work, and a lack of visibility of how AI is actually being deployed across local government.

• There is an imbalance between local government and industry in the knowledge and expertise around what AI is, how it works and what outcomes it produces – making it difficult for procurers to assess supplier claims on what a technology will do.

• Market failures have led to excess of power that rests in the hands of a few large suppliers, which prices out smaller and medium vendors – limiting choice available to procurement teams and creating market capture or vendor lock-in.

In the first report in the series, Buying AI, Mavis Machirori, Senior Researcher art Ada, asked: "Is the public sector equipped to procure technology in the public interest?

"While there is optimism around the potential for AI to enhance public services, the understanding and adoption of these technologies is at a relatively immature stage. The use of AI in the public sector must be carefully assessed to ensure it is fit for purpose and used with public legitimacy.”