The first Long-term Insights Briefing explores how the APS could integrate artificial intelligence (AI) into public service delivery in the future, and how this might affect the trustworthiness of public service delivery. In developing the briefing, we heard that the community expects the APS to adopt and use AI solutions in ways that demonstrate integrity, competence and empathy for people, and deliver a clear improvement in the performance of public services. This briefing offers insights into how the APS can ensure that AI contributes to the delivery of high quality and trustworthy public services in the future.
An opportunity for the APS to consider significant, cross-cutting and complex policy issues, and how they may affect Australia and the Australian community in the medium and long term.
Explored how the APS could integrate AI into public service delivery in the future, and how this might affect the trustworthiness of public service delivery.
The briefing used community and expert engagement, research and futures thinking to explore how AI could transform public service delivery and the potential impacts of these changes on trustworthiness of service delivery agencies.
The Australian community expects a higher standard of care, tailored and personalised services, and greater convenience and efficiency when accessing services.
Australia’s population is ageing, increasing demand for care and support services.
A transition from informal to formal care is increasing demand for a higher standard of care.
Climate-related events like natural disasters will cause peaks in demand for resources, while reducing resources available to fund other public services.
People who know more about AI have higher trust in government’s ability to use AI for public service delivery.
Source: Australian Public Service Commission, Survey of Trust in Australian Democracy (forthcoming)
Integrity is established through
Empathy is demonstrated by
Performance is improved by
Competence is built by
Integrity is undermined by
Empathy is lost when
Performance is reduced when
Competence is undermined by
Source: Summary of insights from workshops and focus groups held for this briefing, involving people from 15 organisations representing the community, 9 organisations representing academia, industry and youth, and 16 APS Agencies.
This means that people and organisations employing AI are accountable for AI outcomes and transparent about how AI is being used, practise ethical values and principles when designing, developing and implementing AI, and ensure personal privacy and data security.
AI regulation and frameworks will only build trustworthiness if they are clearly communicated and explained to the community.
When the public service demonstrates empathy for the people it serves, this builds trustworthiness.
In practice, this means providing enough of a relationship – human interaction – with public services. What that looks like depends on an agency’s trust history, the community it serves, and the type of service it offers.
If using AI perpetuates unintentional biases and stereotypes, or makes it harder for people to access and engage with public services, trustworthiness will be eroded.
New skills and capabilities will be needed to adopt and use AI in ways that improve public services. This includes upskilling frontline staff to be able to explain the output of AI systems to others in a clear and understandable way.
Public services must be available for everyone, including those who don’t want to engage with digital and AI-enabled systems or provide additional personal data. In the long term, we will live in a more connected world, and the APS will need to steward the community through the transformations that AI will bring.
It will be important to invest in building the AI literacy and digital connectivity of the community.
Area/program/initiative
Long-term Insight Briefings
Release date
Friday 27 October 2023
Category
Report
Authors
Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
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