Government AI Hire, Use, Buy (HUB) Roundtable Series – Roundtable 3: Government as a Buyer of AI

Table of Contents Introduction...............................................................................................................................................2Overview of Discussion.........................................................................................................................4Key Themes..............................................................................................................................................5Flexibility and Adaptability.............................................................................................................5Risk Evaluation and Management.................................................................................................6Agency Responsibilities...................................................................................................................7Liability..............................................................................................................................................7AI Inventory......................................................................................................................................7Evaluating the Need for AI..........................................................................................................8Conclusion.................................................................................................................................................9Authors andAcknowledgments.....................................................................................................10Endnotes.................................................................................................................................................11 Introduction The U.S. government has embraced the potential ofartificial intelligence. However,there are not yet sufficiently comprehensive strategies and guardrails across federalagencies to maximize AI applications that serve the public good while mitigating risks.In light of this gap, Georgetown’sGovernment AI Hire, Use, Buy (HUB) RoundtableSeriesbrings together leading voices to grapple with the legal liability questions thatAI poses, examine AI’s potential to transform government services, and consider howthe government can better attract and use AI talent. The federal government has been particularly active on AI over the lastseveralyears.Following the release of several advanced large language models, PresidentJoeBidensigned the groundbreaking Executive Order on the Safe, Secure, and TrustworthyDevelopment and Use of Artificial Intelligence in October 2023.1In March 2024, theOffice of Management and Budget released its government-wide policy, AdvancingGovernance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of ArtificialIntelligence,which complements the recently finalizedEuropean Union AI Act.2Additionally, the Government Accountability Office conducted its audit of current AIuses by federal agencies.3This work followed efforts dating back to the first Trumpadministration, which implemented agency AI use case inventories in Executive Order13960, Promoting the Use of Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in the FederalGovernment.4However, many questions on the U.S. government’s useandprocurementof AI toolsand hiring ofAI-enablingtalent remain unaddressed. Georgetown University’sCenter for SecurityandEmerging TechnologyandBeeckCenter for Social Impact and Innovation(Beeck Center), together with theGeorgetownLaw Institute for Technology Law and Policy,leda series of invite-only roundtablesover the course of 2024to discuss these pressing questions.This resulting report wasauthored in 2024 after those discussions. On October 9, 2024, the Beeck Center hosted the third roundtable in the series. Thisevent focused on the U.S. government’s procurement process for AI. This reportsummarizes and reflects on the key findings, takeaways, and recommendations fromthe roundtable, which was conducted undertheChatham HouseRule. All names,affiliations, and other identifying information have been omitted from this report. The first two roundtables in the series featured discussions on the role of governmentas a user of AI and an employer of AI talent. These events featured debates onappropriately scoping definitions of AI to capture and govern potential AI use cases,establishing flexible regulatory frameworks that can effectively evolve with new technology, and ensuring agencies have the projects and support systems in place toeffectively onboard AI talent and incentivize them to stay in government over the longterm. Overview of Discussion The roundtable included three sessions: 1.Foundations,transparency, andaccountability.2.Riskassessment,testing, andevaluationstandards.3.Security,liability, andlegalframeworks. The conversation covered a number of relevant issues, but a few key themes andrecommendations emerged: 1.Agencies should establish flexible governance and riskmanagementframeworks for