Artificial Intelligence Workgroup
Thursday, May 21, 2026
1:00pm – 2:00pm

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AI Governance in Practice:  Safeguarding Transparency and Accountability in the Age of AI

Event Description
Accountability is a cornerstone of good governance and a basic principle of democracy. It is key to ensure that institutions are responsive to the people. However, in the age of artificial intelligence (AI), accountability is becoming complex and its mechanisms are not always clear.

In addition, AI-based automated decision-making systems may reproduce patterns of discrimination and be biased, impacting core public values such as transparency, fairness, integrity, and equity. During our presentation, we will identify some of the changes in accountability as well as the gaps in accountability emerging from the implementation of AI-based automated decision-making systems.

We will also provide recommendations to assist government agencies in planning the necessary organizational and institutional mechanisms to address vertical, horizontal, and diagonal accountability as they embed AI systems in their decision-making processes, potentially contributing to the revitalization of democratic institutions and the preservation of key core values. This is particularly important for vulnerable groups often more negatively affected by AI-based automated decisions and, therefore, it could improve the overall well-being of society.

Speaker:

• Mila Gasco-Hernandez - Research Director at the Center for Technology in Government, and an Associate Professor at Rockefeller College of Public Affairs & Policy

Mila Gasco-Hernandez is an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Administration and Policy as well as the Research Director of the Center for Technology in Government, both at the University at Albany, State University of New York (SUNY). Currently, she is also serving as the acting Associate Director of the newly University at Albany’s launched AI & Society College. In 2026, she was recognized as a worldwide top thinker in local government by the Local Government Information Unit (LGIU)’s Future Local Lab. Also, in 2025, she was listed as a worldwide top 2% scientist by the Stanford University Report of Top Cited Scientists. Her research interests include digital government, open government, public sector innovation, smart cities and communities, telework, and artificial intelligence in government.

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