Can AI make government services more human?

While much attention on artificial intelligence (AI) has been focused on the commercial sector, AI and the public sector are a perfect fit. In fact, there are many use cases already for AI to digitalize government services, including improving water quality for communities to helping answer constituent and health worker questions.

This blog explores how AI can help the public sector get even closer to people's needs and expectations.

First, let’s explore the regulatory, technical and ethical framework for AI

The European Union is currently creating the legal basis to enable and regulate the use of AI. The Artificial Intelligence Act is the most prominent example of this. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) also plays an important role as it aims to ensure the protection of personal data when implementing AI systems.

While I focus on supporting clients in Germany, my colleagues in North America also are watching the regulatory landscape taking shape within their geographies.

What’s common everywhere is that AI technology is outpacing regulation. Certainly, time is of the essence, and organizations can already put in place steps that will mitigate risks to ensure the responsible use of AI.

From a technical perspective, AI’s machine learning methods make it possible to recognize patterns and connections from large amounts of data. If an organization’s underlying data is available and of high quality, AI can help make precise predictions and decisions on this basis. So-called multi-AI agent systems combine different AI agents and can help to efficiently manage complex tasks.

Yet, human expertise must be involved. Careful planning and effective project management are essential when initiating AI projects.

In addition, ethical aspects must be continuously considered. It is important to carefully evaluate the potential impact of AI systems on society and individuals. A human-centered design and balanced data basis are essential. It is important to avoid biases, such as gender discrimination, for example, so that the past is not carried into the future.

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Next, let’s examine AI use cases for the public sector

In our global Voice of Our Clients research, government leaders cite AI as their top area of innovation investment over the next three years. This is not surprising as AI has the potential to overcome a wide range of challenges that the public sector faces today, from an aging workforce, to the slow progress being made to digitize government services.

Examples of how AI can help improve public administration includes:

• Improved data management: With AI systems, data analysis becomes more efficient and precise. This makes it possible to make well-informed decisions and to optimize administrative work.
• Real-time statistics: AI-supported analysis tools can provide real-time statistics that enable government agencies to react quickly to changes and to use their resources in a more targeted manner.
• Enhanced maintenance: With AI, infrastructure such as roads, bridges and public buildings can be better maintained. The use of sensors and predictive maintenance can extend the lifespan of these facilities and increase public safety for citizens.
• Advanced communication solutions: The introduction of AI-supported communication systems such as chatbots can improve communication between government services and constituents. These systems can process inquiries around the clock, resulting in faster response times and improved management availability.

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Finally, let’s highlight the benefits AI can bring to citizens

We’re already experiencing how AI can bring citizens faster and easier access to public information and services through technologies such as chatbots. However, AI also can support other tasks, such as filling out forms. If automated suggestions and discrepancies are recognized immediately, citizens can fill out their applications more accurately and quickly.

AI also can help make administrative processes more transparent and understandable. For example, citizens can track progress of their requests through visualized process flows and quickly access the status of their application.

Last but not least, AI-supported appointment scheduling systems can help reduce waiting times and improve service overall. By efficiently coordinating appointments and automatically reminding citizens of upcoming ones, scarce government resources can be better used.

All of these examples contribute to increasing citizen satisfaction with public administration, and easing the workload of government workers.

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What’s next

The above use case examples demonstrate that AI can contribute to faster, more efficient and more transparent government services, benefiting both the public sector and citizens.

Bottom line: The public sector can actually become more human with AI. The prerequisite is having the ethical and legal framework in place to ensure citizen interactions remain secure and private, and that biases are removed to provide for the fair treatment of all.

If you would like to learn more about how your organization could benefit from AI, please contact me.