AI for the Public Good

EVOLVE 2026 · MIAMI · BREAKOUT PANEL · SESSION 03

Leaders from Tuskegee, Detroit and Ethiopia discuss what dependable AI looks like when vulnerable communities are relying on it most.

EVOLVE is Sand’s annual summit bringing together technology leaders, policymakers and practitioners working at the intersection of AI and critical infrastructure.

When AI supports essential public services, success isn’t measured by how impressive the technology is—it’s measured by whether people receive better, more reliable services. Bringing together leaders from local government and national digital transformation initiatives, this session explored what dependable AI looks like when the stakes are highest.

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THE 60-SECOND READ

Dependable AI means identifying problems before they happen: catching the $10,000 problem before it becomes the $10 million one. From a rural Alabama city with no IT department to a nation of 130 million treating AI as infrastructure, not a luxury, the panel agreed on the measure of success: citizens noticing better service.

What This Conversation Revealed

1. Dependability is the new benchmark for public-sector AI.

Innovation alone isn't enough. When AI supports critical public services, success is measured by reliability, predictability and the confidence citizens have in the systems they depend on every day.

2. Digital foundations come before intelligent systems.

Ethiopia offered perhaps the clearest example of the panel's central argument. Before introducing AI at scale, the country invested in the fundamentals: connectivity, digital identity and public digital infrastructure. Those investments now support faster public services, expanded financial inclusion and AI applications that can operate across the country. The lesson extends well beyond Ethiopia: organizations looking to scale AI should first ask whether they've built the digital foundations to support it.

3. Leaders must translate AI—not just deploy it.

Fear of job displacement emerged as one of the biggest barriers to adoption. The panel argued that leadership means helping staff and communities understand how AI extends human capability rather than replaces it.

Key Highlights

Digital infrastructure made AI possible. Ethiopia built the foundations first—electricity, connectivity and digital identity. Today, 55 million people are online, 35 million have digital IDs, a driver's license can be issued in 15 minutes and a national ID in a day.
AI is expanding financial inclusion. AI-driven credit scoring is enabling microloans for rural women and farmers who were previously excluded from formal financial systems.
Small cities may have the most to gain. Tuskegee's mayor described also serving as the city's IT director, communications lead and front-line problem solver—arguing that AI has the greatest potential where public resources are most constrained.
Innovation starts with lived experience. Commissioner Bell highlighted a young entrepreneur who built an air-quality monitoring system after growing up with asthma. Today, schools use those sensors to determine when children can safely play outside.
People remain the long-term investment. Ethiopia has already enrolled three million people in free digital skills programmes and announced plans for an AI-focused university campus to prepare the next generation.

By the Numbers

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to issue a driver's license in Ethiopia

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digital IDs issued

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enrolled in digital skills courses

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population being served

In their words

“In our part of the world, where public service is fragmented, reliability matters more than innovation.”

Myriam Said, Digital Advisor, Office of the Prime Minister Ethiopia

Why it Matters

Much of the conversation around AI focuses on what’s possible. This panel focused on something more practical: what makes AI dependable enough to trust with essential public services.

Across communities with vastly different resources and operating environments, the discussion pointed to the same conclusion. Reliable AI isn’t created by sophisticated models alone. It depends on digital infrastructure, clear accountability, explainable decisions and leaders who can build public trust throughout the adoption process.

The examples from Tuskegee, Detroit and Ethiopia also challenged another common assumption—that meaningful AI transformation begins in the world’s most technologically advanced cities. Instead, some of the most compelling innovations are emerging in places where resources are constrained, problems are immediate and technology has to prove its value quickly. In those environments, AI isn’t judged by novelty; it’s judged by whether it makes everyday life meaningfully better.

Perhaps the session’s biggest insight was that public-sector AI succeeds when citizens don’t notice the AI at all—they notice shorter queues, cleaner air, faster services and governments that respond before problems become crises. That’s what dependable AI looks like in practice.