In this session, Chad Bond (Zaizi) is joined by Dr Annette Southgate, Director of the Home Office’s Accelerate Capability Environment (ACE), and Nayyab Naqvi, Head of Technology for AI Adoption at DSIT’s Public Sector Adoption Unit.

Together they explore what it actually takes to move government AI beyond the pilot stage and into scaled, operational reality — and why SME partnerships are key to making that happen.

Key takeaways:

• Why government AI pilots stall before reaching operational scale
• How ACE’s procurement framework helps departments de-risk and accelerate AI delivery
• The case for SME partnerships over traditional single-supplier models
• Procurement reform and what needs to change to unlock faster AI adoption
• Building trust in AI systems and managing risk in high-stakes public sector environments
• The rise of agentic AI and what it means for how government commissions and deploys technology

Speakers