Room R
Workshop

Open source (generative) AI for public services innovation

In person
  • Date
    10 July 2025
    Timeframe
    14:00 - 17:15 CEST
    Duration
    3h 15 minutes
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    With the acceleration of generative AI, governments worldwide are exploring its transformative potential to develop innovative new digital public services, whether through intelligent chatbots, decision-support systems, or accessible citizen portals. However, unlocking this potential requires trustable, auditable, and inclusive AI solutions, which open source uniquely enables.

    This workshop, organized under the Open Source Ecosystem Enabler (OSEE) program and supported by ITU, GIZ, IEEE, and partner UN agencies, showcases real-world action:

    • Kenya’s pioneering work to build an open source AI chatbot as part of its digital government efforts, supported by the GovStack and OSEE initiatives.
    • The IEEE Open Source AI Hackathon, harnessing a global developer community to advance generative AI for sustainable development, using the same open source AI reference implementation promoted by ITU’s OSPO and Working Group.

    Key Themes Throughout the Workshop

    • Trust, transparency, and equity in AI for the public sector
    • Open source AI as a digital public good
    • Capacity building and local ownership through OSEE
    • Global-local collaboration: From national deployments to hackathon-scale prototyping
    • Sustainable innovation aligned with ensuring quality education, sustainable economic growth and decent work, and building resilient infrastructure
       
  • Kickoff, context-setting, and explanation of the workshop’s bi-nuclear structure:

    1. The Kenya case study as a leading example of open source AI in government, and associated DPI considerations;

    2. The IEEE Hackathon showcasing innovation driven by the open source AI reference implementation.

    3. Introduce OSEE’s role, the importance of digital sovereignty, resilience and inclusion, ITU’ support and capacity building programmes and projects.

    Kenya’s Vision  

    The strategic value of open source AI in building sovereign and citizen-centric digital services.

    Reflection on the Kenya GovStack/OSEE journey, the importance of resilient infrastructures, and lessons learned.

    Global Collaboration for Open Source AI Exploring how IEEE supports global innovation through open standards, ethical AI frameworks, and collaborative ecosystems. Introduction to the IEEE Hackathon initiative.

    Kenya’s Digital Leap, Open Source AI for Public Services A deep dive into how Kenya is pioneering the use of open source generative AI, the joint support from GovStack and OSEE, and the challenges and enablers of building digital public services with transparency and trust.

    Topics:

    ● The Kenya chatbot: architecture, implementation, and goals

    ● Digital public infrastructure and AI-readiness

    ● Role of ITU and capacity building through OSEE

    Open Source AI Hackathon for SDGs: Global Action Through Innovation How open source AI can mobilize talent worldwide for SDG impact. This session highlights the upcoming IEEE hackathon, powered by the open source AI reference implementation and shaped by real-world needs.

    Topics:

    ● AI reference implementation and interoperability with public services

    ● Challenges and incentives in AI for good hackathons

    ● Expected outputs and community impact

    A forward-looking discussion: How can open source generative AI help countries leapfrog and localize digital innovation in public services?

    1. Summary of key insights

    2. Link between country use-case and global community efforts

    3. Preview of the upcoming case-study paper (Kenya + IEEE Hackathon outcomes)

    4. Announcements: OSEE capacity building programme updates, opportunities for engagement (affiliate programme), and OSPO collaborations

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