2024 Public Sector Perspectives

Prag Sharma Global Head of the Artificial Intelligence Centre of Excellence Gary Schneider Head of North America Public Sector Group, Corporate Banking AI in the Public Sector: Facilitating Engagement, Improving Enablement and Enhancing Risk Management I nterest in artificial intelligence (AI) has soared in the past year as the power of Machine Learning (ML), and specifically, generative AI (which includes large language models (LLMs)) has become clear to consumers and companies alike. In contrast, governments are more often seen as regulators rather than users of AI. But while policies and governance are important to build trust and reduce bias, AI can play a wide range of roles for governments and public sector entities globally. Citizen and customer engagement Citizens interact with their governments in myriad ways at different times. For instance, individuals and companies file tax returns, citizens need to pay utility bills or parking fines, or people might just want to find out what day their recycling is collected. Typically, governments simply provide information or services via in-person visits, telephone calls, or increasingly, their websites. More recently, some governments and public sector entities – just like corporates – have introduced chatbots that utilize basic AI to answer queries and offer self-help capabilities. These virtual assistants can provide more tailored information to the public or, in some cases, process straightforward forms. The ePortugal Portal of Public Services includes Sigma, a 24/7 virtual assistant chatbot that provides answers in writing to frequently asked questions posed by Portuguese citizens, for instance. 1 1 https://oecd-opsi.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/AI-Report-Online.pdf Citi Perspectives for the Public Sector 31 While policies and governance are important to build trust and reduce bias, AI can play a wide range of roles for governments and public sector entities globally. 30 AI in the Public Sector: Facilitating Engagement, Improving Enablement and Enhancing Risk Management