Under the Cascadia GovTech Hub, the Cascadia Innovation Corridor brings together cross-sector partners from British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon to explore how the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI) can support stronger public services and reinforce public trust.

Cascadia aspires to be the first GovTech hub explicitly dedicated to the responsible use of AI in government through public-private partnerships. These principles are intended to support cross-border collaboration, responsible experimentation, and shared learning as governments and institutions continue to evaluate how AI can enhance public service. Public-private partnerships should uphold the same expectations for transparency, accountability, privacy, and public benefit regardless of whether AI systems are developed, procured, or operated by government or private-sector partners.

Cascadia believes AI is most valuable when it strengthens the ability of governments and public institutions to serve people effectively, responsibly, and transparently. We also recognize the important role of universities in contributing independent expertise, workforce development, research, evaluation, and multidisciplinary perspectives that support responsible AI adoption.

We believe AI should be used in ways that strengthen public services and deliver meaningful public benefit. Cascadia AI projects are intended to support more effective, responsive, and accessible government services through responsible collaboration between public institutions and private-sector partners. We believe AI solutions are most effective when they are informed by employee, community, and public input and designed with the people they are intended to serve.

Successful projects improve outcomes for residents and communities. We believe the use of public data and public resources carries a responsibility to serve the public interest, and that people should be able to understand when and how AI is being used in public-facing services. We support meaningful transparency about how AI is used in public services, including simple, public-facing language explaining its purpose, limitations, and oversight.

We believe humans remain responsible for decisions made in government, even when AI tools are involved. AI is intended to support—not replace—human judgment, expertise, and accountability. We believe meaningful human oversight is particularly important for decisions affecting rights, benefits, safety, or access to public services.

We recognize that AI systems will continue to evolve over time and require ongoing human review, user feedback, and continuous improvement to remain effective, accountable, and responsive to public needs.

We support government AI adoption that is intended to support public servants in delivering effective, responsive, and high-quality services by helping reduce administrative burden and creating more time for expertise, problem-solving, service delivery, and community engagement.

We believe successful AI adoption includes workforce preparedness, training, and opportunities for employees to build familiarity and confidence with AI tools, capabilities, limitations, governance, and responsible use. We recognize that thoughtful engagement with employees is an important part of responsible AI adoption.

We believe data used in AI systems should be handled with care, transparency, and respect for privacy and confidentiality.

We support responsible data practices that are consistent with applicable laws, public expectations, and the trust placed in public institutions. We support the safe and ethical use of public data and government digital services, recognizing that public trust depends on responsible stewardship, appropriate safeguards, and clear expectations for how information is accessed, shared, and used.

We also believe AI systems should be designed and used in ways that minimize bias and support fairness, accessibility, reliability, and accuracy. We recognize the importance of protecting sensitive and community-specific data, including respecting Indigenous data sovereignty.

We believe AI should be used responsibly, with careful attention to transparency, safety, appropriateness, and the ethical implications of its use. Responsible AI adoption requires ongoing learning, evaluation, and adaptation as technologies evolve, including collaboration between governments and private-sector partners to identify risks and share lessons learned. We believe responsible AI includes evaluating systems before deployment and monitoring them over time to ensure they continue to serve the public interest, perform as intended, and maintain public trust.

Cascadia also supports clear communication about how AI is being used in public services, including appropriate visibility into system purpose, limitations, and known risks.

Cascadia has an opportunity to help define how governments responsibly deploy AI in service of the public. Through continued public-private partnership, responsible experimentation, and shared learning across jurisdictions, Cascadia aims to demonstrate that innovation and public trust can advance together.

As governments continue to develop policies, standards, and regulatory approaches for AI, Cascadia supports governance frameworks that provide clarity for developers, adopters, and users alike. Effective oversight should promote innovation and public-private collaboration while ensuring accountability, transparency, safety, and public trust.

These principles are intended to serve as a foundation for practical approaches to AI that strengthen public institutions and better serve communities across the region.