In this article for Tech Policy Press, Fordham Law Professor Chinmayi Sharma and student Sam Adler ’26 argue the GovAI Coalition offers a compelling model for how governments can work together to navigate the complex landscape of AI governance.
In the absence of substantive AI regulation, procurement might be a promising pathway to bridge the AI governance gap. Typically, when we think of the “power of the purse” in AI procurement, we think of federal procurement because setting standards for AI vendors through conditional spending requires a combination of institutional expertise and significant capital. Conventional wisdom suggests that local governments, and even state governments, do not possess the requisite bargaining power to compel vendors to comply with AI governance requirements. But that is only true when localities stand alone in their efforts to influence the private sector’s AI practices. GovAI seeks to change that.
Launched in October 2023, the GovAI Coalition was spearheaded by US cities, including San Jose, Cleveland, San Antonio, San Diego, St. Paul, and Long Beach, along with the County of San Diego, the Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon, and the State of Colorado Department of Revenue. Finding strength in numbers, the coalition represents a collective effort to standardize and improve AI governance across various levels of government, leveraging pooled resources and collective bargaining power to level the playing field with AI vendors. Now, with over 300 members spanning federal, state, county, and municipal agencies, the GovAI coalition is poised to help reshape the landscape of public sector use and procurement of AI, fostering efficiency, transparency, and, ideally, responsible governance.