Artificial intelligence and the transformation of public services

Artificial intelligence and the transformation of public services

It is a truth universally acknowledged that there is huge potential for public services to be transformed by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Longevity is rapidly increasing. We are living longer and healthier lives and the population growth is slowing down. The working age population is shrinking and with that comes a reduced capacity to deliver public services. At the same time the demands and needs for public services are increasing and the pressure on efficiency of public services has never been larger. We need to do more with less.

AI may be able to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and even deliver new services also to groups who are currently unserved. Health apps, for example, are increasingly used by people who are not registered with primary care providers, and who therefore have no other access to healthcare.

There is a wide range of stakeholders involved and affected by the increased use of data, analytics and AI in public service delivery. These include:

Even in publicly funded systems, competition is creeping in around the world, and resource pressures are ever present. Public service providers from education through Health to police are ambitious to serve new groups, provide new or higher quality services, or make resources stretch further and serve more people for the same money. This adds up to an enthusiasm for new technology that could help them improve service delivery. Examples include Moorfields Eye Hospital’s partnership with Google on diagnostics, and systems being used in North Carolina to reduce the use of over-stressed police officers. Additionally the Royal Society recently published a very comprehensive infographic illustrating above.

The level of government debt is rising in many Western countries to unheard-of levels. These governments have huge incentives to reduce the costs of the public sector, but so far, the only way has been to cut services. This is generally agreed to be unsustainable. Using AI offers potential for services to be delivered differently, and perhaps reduce expenditure in unexpected areas. Examples include prisons using analytics to match cell-mates whose interactions will reduce future reoffending rates, and the National Crime Agency trying to get ahead of criminals by using predictive analytics, rather than reacting after the event.

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