Exploratory Insights on Artificial Intelligence for Government in Europe

TLDR

Interest in AI to improve government processes is high, yet adoption has historically been challenging for public administrations. The study investigates AI adoption in governmental organizations as a form of ICT‑enabled governance innovation. The authors propose a comprehensive framework outlining key factors for successful AI adoption in government, extending beyond data, processing power, and algorithm development. Case studies reveal that AI adoption in government mirrors antecedents from prior literature and depends on intertwined environmental, organizational, and other factors, not just high‑quality data.

Abstract

There is great interest to use artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to improve government processes and public services. However, the adoption of technologies has often been challenging for public administrations. In this article, the adoption of AI in governmental organizations has been researched as a form of information and communication technologies (ICT)–enabled governance innovation in the public sector. Based on findings from three cases of AI adoption in public sector organizations, this article shows strong similarities between the antecedents identified in previous academic literature and the factors contributing to the use of AI in government. The adoption of AI in government does not solely rely on having high-quality data but is facilitated by numerous environmental, organizational, and other factors that are strictly intertwined among each other. To address the specific nature of AI in government and the complexity of its adoption in the public sector, we thus propose a framework to provide a comprehensive overview of the key factors contributing to the successful adoption of AI systems, going beyond the narrow focus on data, processing power, and algorithm development often highlighted in the mainstream AI literature and policy discourse.