While the public sector continues to evolve with technological advancements, its core objective remains the same: to ensure that all citizens have equal access to public services, regardless of socio-economic status, physical ability, or geographic location. This objective, commonly known as inclusive governance, has led the public sector to continuously adopt advanced technologies to improve citizen engagement, streamline operations, and make informed decisions. In the 1990s, the advent of the internet led the public sector to embrace e-government, making public services available online and enabling governments to interact with citizens through websites. Today, generative AI is playing a similar transformative role, changing how users interact with services, providing personalized experiences, improving accessibility, and streamlining the workplace. Realizing its potential, the public sector is increasing its investments in generative AI, with productivity gains estimated to reach $1.75 trillion per year by 2033, according to BCG. In this article, we discuss how generative AI is shaping the future of public services and advancing the goal of inclusive governance.
Improved accessibility
Generative AI is improving access to public services by reducing barriers that have long affected marginalized and underserved communities. Traditional public service models often struggle to reach these groups due to a lack of personalized assistance, language barriers, and challenges faced by individuals with disabilities. Generative AI can help address these issues in several ways:
Generative AI-powered tools like chatbots and virtual assistants are providing personalized support and making it easier for people to navigate complex bureaucratic systems. For example, the city of Heidelberg in Germany introduced Lumi, a chatbot that helps citizens and visitors with a range of inquiries, from changing their address to getting information about waste collection. Lumi draws information from publicly available city data and improves over time based on user interactions.
Generative AI-powered translation tools also break down language barriers, allowing non-native speakers to access important information and services in their preferred language. This is especially important in multicultural societies where linguistic diversity matters. For example, the cities of Stockton and Fairfield in California have introduced translation tools that residents can use on their mobile or web channels to communicate with local governments in 71 languages through Amazon Translate. In India, the Jugalbandi project is using generative AI-powered chatbots on WhatsApp and Telegram to help rural residents access government services in their own language. These chatbots can respond with both text and voice, and currently support 10 languages and cover 171 government programs, making it easy for citizens to get the information they need.
Generative AI-powered assistive technology is also improving accessibility for people with disabilities. This is crucial because in 2023, people with at least one disability will make up 13% of the U.S. population, and their workforce participation rate will increase from 21.3% to 22.5% from 2022 to 2023. To help these people, the U.S. Department of Justice recently issued guidelines requiring state and local governments to ensure the accessibility of their websites and mobile apps. In response, organizations have developed generative AI-powered screen readers, such as VoiceOver for iOS and TalkBack for Android, to help people with visual impairments navigate government websites and access information more independently.
Strengthening citizen engagement
In addition to accessibility, another key aspect of inclusive governance is establishing effective engagement with citizens. Government agencies handle a wide range of functions, from public health initiatives to tourism promotion. When citizens contact agencies, human agents are often faced with the challenge of quickly finding and summarizing this data, which takes time and effort. This may not meet citizens’ expectations for effective and engaging interactions.
Virtual assistants powered by generative AI are helping to address these challenges by providing personalized answers to citizen inquiries. For example, EMMA is a chatbot developed by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, part of the Department of Homeland Security. EMMA assists users with a range of services, including immigration, green cards, and passports, and supports both English and Spanish. The English version also allows for voice interaction and guides users through websites. EMMA handles around 1 million interactions per month, proving its value in improving citizen engagement.
Similarly, the Australian Government uses a chatbot called Alex to help individuals and businesses with tax-related issues like property rights, income, deductions, filing returns, etc. Alex efficiently guides users to relevant content, saving time and improving the overall user experience.
Inclusive decision making
A key aspect of inclusive governance is making fair and unbiased decisions regardless of citizens’ socio-economic status, ethnicity, or personal ties. Generative AI is helping the public sector make inclusive decisions. One notable example of inclusive decision-making in the public sector is the growing use of automated hiring processes powered by generative AI. The systems screen resumes and applications in a way that minimizes human bias. By masking personal information and focusing only on relevant qualifications and experience, generative AI ensures that all candidates are evaluated based solely on merit.
For example, New York City is deploying an AI-powered generative recruiting platform to standardize assessments and remove personal identifying information to result in a more diverse candidate pool. Similarly, the UK civil service is using AI to filter applications, assess diversity and improve fairness in its hiring practices.
Formulating comprehensive policies
Generative AI is transforming policymaking by enabling a more inclusive approach through data analytics. By examining broad data sets, AI can identify the needs and preferences of different population groups, ensuring policies reflect the interests of all citizens and lead to more equitable outcomes.
For example, the City of Los Angeles is using AI-powered analytics to better understand community needs and optimize resource allocation. By analyzing data related to housing, transportation, and public health, the city can make informed decisions that address the needs of its diverse and marginalized residents.
Similarly, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is using generative AI to predict patient demand for healthcare services. By analyzing patient data and trends, the NHS can allocate resources more effectively and ensure vulnerable groups receive the timely care they need.
Ensuring the responsible use of generative AI in the public sector
Generative AI has great potential to transform the public sector, but it must be used responsibly to ensure that this technology benefits all citizens fairly and equitably. To achieve this, public sector agencies are developing policies to address these challenges. Examples of such policies include the EU’s AI Act, which aims to regulate high-risk AI applications, and the US Algorithmic Accountability Act, which focuses on transparency and fairness in AI systems. Key guidelines for these policies include:
- Ensure transparency and accountability: Generative AI systems should be designed to operate transparently, meaning how they make decisions must be clearly explained and the process must be understandable to non-experts. Transparency helps build trust, allowing citizens to understand how and why decisions are made.
- Ensuring fairness and impartiality: Generative AI systems may unintentionally perpetuate or amplify biases present in the data they are trained on. To mitigate this risk, it is important to regularly assess AI models for potential biases and take corrective actions to address any identified issues.
- Prioritize data privacy and security: A major challenge when implementing generative AI in the public sector is ensuring the security of sensitive data. Public sector data is often highly sensitive and needs to be protected at all times. To use generative AI effectively, it is important to ensure that data privacy and security measures are strictly maintained.
- Promoting accountability: Accountability is a key aspect of using generative AI to promote inclusive governance, including the establishment of an independent body or committee to oversee the adoption and effectiveness of AI systems, as well as creating public feedback channels so that community input can lead to needed adjustments and improvements.
Conclusion
Generative AI is transforming the public sector by increasing accessibility, improving citizen engagement, and driving inclusive decision-making. Its ability to provide personalized support, overcome language barriers, and assist people with disabilities makes public services more equitable and efficient. As public sector agencies integrate generative AI, they must navigate challenges related to transparency, fairness, and data security. Responsible implementation, guided by robust policies and ethical standards, is essential for generative AI to truly advance the goals of inclusive governance and enable more accessible and equitable services for all citizens.