What Is Public AI and Why It Matters

As artificial intelligence spreads more widely, there is concern over centralization and privatization in the ecosystem. Public AI emerges as a counter to this tendency–but what is public AI, and what does it look like in practice? Building on the procurement and market dynamics explored in Workshop 1, this session defines what “public AI” means and the arguments for how governments can take an active role in shaping it. Participants will explore the risks of outsourcing essential capabilities to private platforms, the opportunities of shared and open infrastructure, and the principles that distinguish public AI—transparency, accountability, interoperability—from purely commercial deployments.