Page 35 - The Annual AI Governance Report 2025 Steering the Future of AI

The Annual AI Governance Report 2025: Steering the Future of AI

Public AI: Public AI refers to artificial intelligence systems developed or supported by public
institutions to serve societal goals, rather than solely private profit. It emphasizes open source,
community-centered values, and public-benefit applications. The rise of public compute—
publicly funded access to high-performance computing—is a key enabler of Public AI. Public
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AI supports transparency and accountability by encouraging open-source models, shared
datasets, and democratic oversight, which helps build public trust, and it directs AI toward
solving critical public challenges—such as in health, education, climate, and social services—that
are often overlooked by market-driven systems. Creating democratic governance structures—
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such as citizen assemblies, public oversight boards, and participatory design processes—ensures
that AI systems reflect diverse societal needs and values. 138

136 Sitaraman, G., & Parek, K., (2025) The global rise of public AI. Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator.
137 Public AI Network. (2024, August 10). Public AI: Infrastructure for the Common Good.
138 Sieker, F., Tarkowski, A., Gimpel, L., & Osborne, C. (2025). Public AI White Paper – A public Alternative to
private AI dominance. Bertelsmann Stiftung.

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