ChatGOV: Harnessing the Power of AI for Better Government Service Delivery
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the private sector and offers the opportunity to transform the public sector by making it more efficient, responsive, and citizen-centric.
Historically, the initial foray into digitizing governmental operations revolved around migrating paperwork to online platforms. While this approach democratized access to information, it often fell short of improving service delivery due to the complexity of program implementation and challenging bureaucratic processes.
A second wave of digital modernization concentrated on transitioning services, such as benefit applications, to digital delivery channels. This wave modernized some backend data systems and moved applications to the web, but the user experience was still often marked by confusion and frustration. The consequences could be severe, as an error could result in the loss of benefits eligibility or delayed access to needed services.
Generative AI offers the promise of simplifying and improving the digital delivery of public services. The allowance for fine-tuning by integrating vast troves of federal and state data makes AI systems inherently adaptive, which helps chatbots provide accurate and even empathetic responses.
There are a growing number of use cases in which generative AI might improve the digital delivery of services:
Personalized Citizen Interaction: Generative AI can be employed to create chatbots for government websites or helplines. These AI-driven virtual assistants can be available 24-7, offering instant responses to frequently asked questions, guiding users through processes, or even assisting in filling out online forms. Over time, they can learn from previous interactions to provide more tailored responses, enhancing user experience and satisfaction.
Decoding Bureaucracy: Every year, citizens grapple with the intricate maze of tax forms and constantly changing guidelines, especially with over 800 forms and schedules from the IRS alone. The IRS and state tax offices could harness generative AI to walk taxpayers through each step of the filing process, answering questions in real-time, and even offering personalized tax-saving advice based on individual financial situations. Such an assistant would be invaluable to the tax filer and tax agencies, which have historically struggled to respond to phone calls during tax season and process backlogs.
Streamlining Licensing and Permits: Whether it’s processing a clinical license, business license, or building permit, the procedures involve cumbersome paperwork and lengthy waiting periods. AI can automate much of these administrative tasks, saving time for applicants and reducing the administrative burden on agency staff. It may even be possible for these AI systems to analyze myriad regulations to identify duplicative requirements or areas that could be streamlined.
Social Service Access: State and federal agencies provide numerous health and social services, from Medicaid to food assistance programs. AI can play a role in matching individuals to the right programs based on their eligibility and needs, streamlining application processes and predicting future service demands.
Clearer Communication: Governmental communications, which often feature complex legal jargon, are difficult to understand and lack multi-lingual options. Generative AI can enhance clarity and accessibility. For instance, state academic assessment results are traditionally conveyed to parents through static reports with technical language and limited context. With generative AI, not only can we present these results more clearly but an “assessment assistant” can also address parent queries about their child’s performance.
Government agencies can take several steps to begin exploring generative AI use cases:
Use a Risk-Based Approach: On January 26, 2023, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) unveiled version 1.0 of its Artificial Intelligence Risk Management Framework (AI RMF). This initiative aims to guide the creation and governance of trustworthy and ethical AI systems around seven principles: safe; secure and resilient; explainable and interpretable; privacy-enhanced; fair—with harmful bias managed; accountable and transparent; and valid and reliable.
Identify Use Case: Groups within agencies are closest to the potential problems that AI may solve. The Department of Health and Human Services, for example, surfaced dozens of potential uses for AI. Task Force Lima is assessing generative AI capabilities across the Department of Defense.
Invest in Capacity Building: AI in governance will be only as good as the people behind it. Governments should hire leaders with technical expertise or train them from within to lead the data and AI efforts in their agencies.
The capabilities of AI promise not only efficiency but potentially a more accessible interface for citizens. As governments begin to integrate these technologies into their service-delivery mechanisms, it is imperative to approach the adoption with due diligence, guided by robust frameworks like NIST’s AI RMF. With a combination of strategic foresight, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building, governments can harness the power of AI to truly transform public service, making it more responsive and citizen-centric than ever before.