For Governments Turning to AI, Five Dimensions to Consider

Home AI in Government For Governments Turning to AI, Five Dimensions to Consider

As artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning gain momentum, an increasing number of government agencies are considering or starting to use them to improve decision making. Some examples of compelling applications include those that identify tax-evasion patterns, sort through infrastructure data to target bridge inspections, or sift through health and social-service data to prioritize cases for child welfare and support. They enable governments to perform more efficiently, both improving outcomes and keeping costs down.

The most pressing aspects of adopting such solutions are generally well known. Algorithms should be accurate and consciously checked for unintended bias.^1 Others are less so. Algorithms must be stable, meaning that small changes to their input don't meaningfully change their output. They should be explainable, especially in the public sector, where myriad ...