Adopting AI Responsibly: Guidelines for Procurement of AI Solutions by the Private Sector

The World Economic Forum and GEP present a comprehensive guide for the private sector to navigate the procurement of AI solutions. The report argues that because AI is increasingly embedded in critical decision-making, organizations must move beyond technical evaluations to a holistic approach. It proposes a framework based on five pillars: business strategy, commercial strategy, data strategy, ethics and sustainability, and governance, risk and compliance. The guide emphasizes the role of procurement as the central orchestrator, coordinating cross-functional teams—including IT, legal, and data scientists—to ensure AI adoption is aligned with organizational values, regulatory requirements, and environmental sustainability.

• The global AI market is experiencing rapid growth, valued at $136 billion in 2022 and projected to reach $1,500 billion by 2030.
• AI procurement often fails to achieve desired business outcomes when organizations attempt to force-fit market solutions to their requirements rather than defining specific business goals and linking them to required capabilities.
• Commercial strategies for AI differ from traditional technology investments because AI typically requires a longer total cost of ownership (TCO) timeframe and must account for the ongoing costs of managing concept drifts and retraining algorithms.
• A successful AI deployment requires a robust data strategy that addresses data relevance, the potential use of synthetic data when internal sets are insufficient, and the establishment of scalable data pipelines and governance.
• To ensure ethical AI, organizations must prioritize the elimination of bias, which can be introduced by designers, training datasets, or end-user interactions, and should seek suppliers with diverse design teams and clear mitigation plans.
• AI is currently not a sustainable solution due to high energy consumption and resource depletion; therefore, responsible providers should provide a roadmap for mitigating environmental impacts, including the energy used for training models.
• AI governance must address specific risks including data breaches—which cost an average of $9.4 million in the US in 2022—algorithmic bias, and cybersecurity threats such as the poisoning of AI algorithms.
• Procurement should act as the central orchestrator for AI acquisition, coordinating a cross-functional team that includes business end-users, IT/cybersecurity, AI centers of excellence, and data management teams.

APA

World Economic Forum (2023). Adopting AI Responsibly: Guidelines for Procurement of AI Solutions by the Private Sector. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Adopting_AI_Responsibly_Guidelines_for_Procurement_of_AI_Solutions_by_the_Private_Sector_2023.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Adopting AI Responsibly: Guidelines for Procurement of AI Solutions by the Private Sector. 2023. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Adopting_AI_Responsibly_Guidelines_for_Procurement_of_AI_Solutions_by_the_Private_Sector_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Adopting AI Responsibly: Guidelines for Procurement of AI Solutions by the Private Sector |date=June 2023 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Adopting_AI_Responsibly_Guidelines_for_Procurement_of_AI_Solutions_by_the_Private_Sector_2023.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2023adopting, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Adopting AI Responsibly: Guidelines for Procurement of AI Solutions by the Private Sector}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2023}, month = jun, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Adopting_AI_Responsibly_Guidelines_for_Procurement_of_AI_Solutions_by_the_Private_Sector_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }