Artificial Intelligence for Governance and Citizen Services

Artificial intelligence is the programming of computers to do tasks that would normally require human intelligence. This includes the ability to understand and monitor visual/spatial and auditory information, reason and make predictions, inter- act with humans and machines, and continuously learn and improve.

AI has the potential to have a great impact on the way citizens experience and interact with their government. While AI is not a solution to government problems, it is one powerful tool to increase government efficiency. Implementation of and use of AI in citizen services may also become an indicator of how the public sector can leverage other emerging digital tools. AI raises questions around privacy, the accelerating pace and adoption of digital tools, and whether humans can keep pace with the rate of automation overtime. Earlier use of AI — starting with low-risk applications in service delivery — could pave the way for citizen feedback and engagement on these and other questions about emerging digital tools. With increased interaction with AI, and by building upon existing modernization efforts, government delivery of citizen services could soon mirror the ways citizens interact with technology in their personal lives.