Leaders concluded that moving from shared diagnosis to delivery now requires coordinated, practical action on public sector AI adoption, treating it not as a purely technical challenge but as a governance, legitimacy, capability and implementation challenge. Participants converged around three priority workstreams: (1) collaboration and peer learning, (2) capacity building, and (3) trust, They agree they should be anchored by evidence and evaluation across-cutting disciplines.
The transition from shared diagnosis to practical delivery is a call to action for governments everywhere. This is not merely a technical evolution; it is a profound journey of governance, legitimacy, and implementation. By uniting around the core pillars of collaboration, capacity building, and unwavering trust grounded in rigorous evidence, we can build a future where AI truly serves the public good.
There was agreement that Governments are the key actors who are responsible to move beyond informal exchanges and build the structured mechanisms needed for responsible adoption. This means sharing our successes and failures alike through common repositories, fostering vibrant communities of practice, and ensuring that regulators and implementers walk this path together. We must also replace ‘shadow AI’ with robust, institutional governance that prioritizes accountability and data protection.
Urgency to act now was also highlighted. To avoid the trap of “pilot-it is”, governments and the ecosystem must design initiatives from day one with clear pathways for scale and sustainability. By championing a trust-driven agenda, one that celebrates language diversity, inclusion, and tangible citizen benefits, we can earn the public’s confidence. A clear and most immediate strength lies in people; by empowering leaders, regulators, and frontline agencies through role-specific capacity building and partnerships with academic institutions, it will be possible to steward this technology with wisdom. With a renewed commitment to financing and action-oriented networks of progress.
Timothy M. Persons (Author and rapporteur)
Collaborated: Tom Bushby (Wilton Park), Juliana Moura Bueno (Google)
Wilton Park | September 2026
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Editor’s note
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