When it comes to adapting to the fast-moving AI landscape, governments are falling short, says a report.
And the need for governments to be AI-ready is more urgent than ever, says research from Apolitical – a worldwide network of public servants and policymakers, including 17,000 members in Australia.
By reducing administrative burden, enabling more strategic and sustainable procurement, and delivering better value for taxpayers’ money, generative AI is predicted to deliver increased productivity across all levels of government.
“If governments can unlock these gains in productivity, it will create more time and space for public servants to focus on higher-value activities like making informed decisions, engaging with the public and driving smarter outcomes,” says the report. “Governments that are not AI-ready will be less equipped to govern and will miss a generational prosperity opportunity. Today, most governments are falling short.”
Data obtained by Apolitical through surveying public servants responsible for the delivery of AI projects shows that only 37 per cent say they have support to build their knowledge and skills. This despite government use of GenAI growing exponentially in recent years.
“The data tells a clear story: momentum is building, but public servants need the right training, guidance and tools to turn early adoption into lasting impact that delivers for citizens,” says the report.
Adopting a people-first approach to AI adoption in government can help allay fears or concerns about AI, encourage more successful implementation “and build an organisational culture that is conducive to embracing the technology’s potential – while understanding its risks and downsides.”
While significant attention on AI automation in government has focused on the potential for job losses, the technology brings the opportunity to alleviate repetitive, dull or time-consuming administrative tasks that research shows consistently frustrate public servants. “AI augmentation, rather than automation, focuses on how AI can free up time in public servants’ daily work to focus on more strategic or high-impact tasks in order to deliver greater improvements to the citizen experience,” says the report.
To be AI-ready, there needs to be a whole-of-government approach that encourages public servants to be effective users of the technology in their daily work.
And it seems public servants are keen to embrace AI. An Apolitical survey shows that 64 per cent of public servants are optimistic about the future use of AI in government. “Public servants see how it could free up time, streamline work and support better decisions. Many public servants are eager to see where AI fits into their work, master its use, transform workflows and reimagine their roles and teams.”
But despite broadly optimistic attitudes, Apolitical research finds many public servants remain unsure how to use AI safely, effectively or in line with their government’s policy. “Confidence, clarity and capability still lag behind,” says the report.
Apolitical has developed a free interactive tool that helps public servants assess their AI capabilities. Since its launch earlier this year, more than 4,000 public servants from more than 100 countries have taken the self-assessment test.
“AI readiness is a priority for governments,” says the report. “Building workforce-wide AI skills – and building them quickly – is critical.”
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