Local governments have been left struggling with the procurement of new AI technologies for public service, according to the Ada Lovelace Institute.

The independent research organisation said on Tuesday that despite the bullish outlook from central governments past and present on rolling out public sector AI, local authorities have been left behind.

According to new research from the Ada Lovelace Institute, there is no clear account of how to procure AI at the local level. The Institute noted there was a particular lack of guidance on ensuring transparency and fairness in AI adoption.

“Procurement can and should be a key lever in ensuring that AI tools being used by local government are safe, effective, fair and in the public interest,” said Imogen Parker, associate director at the Ada Lovelace Institute.

“It’s essential that the procurers in the public sector are confident about the products they are buying in – and neither they nor the public are put at risk.”

Parker said “embedding a robust ethical procurement process” at a reduced budget is a “serious challenge”, however, the “cost of not doing this” could be a disaster akin to the “Post Office’s Horizon scandal”.

The new report from the group analysed 16 different pieces of AI guidance and legislation published by the Conservative government from 2010 to 2024.

The Ada Lovelace Institute warned that because the bulk of AI technologies are developed by the private sector, procurement from local governments that effectively assesses the quality and safety of new technologies is key.

“AI and data-driven systems can severely damage public trust and reduce public benefit if the predictions or outcomes they produce are discriminatory, harmful or simply ineffective,” said Anna Studman, senior researcher at the Ada Lovelace Institute.

“Procurement provides a vital opportunity for local authorities to interrogate suppliers on the possible societal impacts of their technologies.”

Read more: UK AI regulation has ‘significant gaps’ – Ada Lovelace report