June
28, 2021
6 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
The continuous progress of technology has led to different government organizations having to modify their structures, as well as the way in which they execute their processes.
Nowadays, applying tools such as Artificial Intelligence (AI ) in government is essential, since AI makes all operations more efficient , allows citizens to listen better, have greater sensitivity about what they are asking for, what they need, and know the general feeling you have.
In other words, it can be said that Artificial Intelligence is an extraordinary content source for the public sector and, above all, it is a great value .
Many developed and developing countries are already implementing AI in different activities within the Public Administration. An example of this is what the Government of Finland is doing, which is conducting tests with what is considered, so far, the most ambitious public assistant based on Artificial Intelligence in the world: AuroraAI .
The objective of this program is to offer citizens personalized services, and filter them according to the specific needs of each person at different times in their lives. Likewise, work is being done to integrate public and business services into a single platform. For example, if AuroraAI detects that a citizen wants to change jobs, it would offer them jobs that match their profile, both in the public and private sectors.
According to Christian Peñaloza , doctor in Cognitive Neuroscience, there are three categories into which the main current benefits of Artificial Intelligence in government can be grouped. These are:
- Perfect existing processes : it is based on automating many of the tasks that are carried out, particularly those that consist of data collection and procedures that are carried out for the government.
- Improve decision-making with data : here AI can be used to analyze all the data collected and, from it, make better decisions .
- Crime prevention : it is more focused on using this technology to be able to detect certain frauds, for example, many use it in the part of the Tax Administration Service (SAT) in collaboration with banks, to be able to detect strange movements and to be able to identify transactions that are not legitimate. It is also implemented in security departments to prevent crime.
Even so, if we have to analyze the exploitation of Artificial Intelligence by government sectors in Latin America, we must emphasize that for many of them the use of AI is still at a very early stage, so they have a long way to go. go through and many technological challenges to face.
“The governments already have a part of the road traveled, they are not completely at zero. Most, for example, already have a demographic database. However, there is still much to refine to make certain public policy decisions, ”says John Salazar , commercial director of Forest Rim Technology for Latin America.
AI in LatAm governments has a long way to go and many technological challenges to face / Image: Depositphotos.com
It should be noted that the application of Artificial Intelligence revolves around techniques such as machine learning and deep learning, artificial vision, voice recognition and robotics . When these are implemented, they become real and tangible benefits for the government . The best? This technology makes results are obtained faster, thus also saving time and avoiding tedious tasks.
At this point, it is essential to emphasize that for AI to work in any organization, it is essential to have the right data , as well as to ensure its accuracy and to label it appropriately for learning.
That is why, first of all, Governments must have the ability to control the data cycle, which consists of collecting data, generating data, storing it, sharing it and, finally, knowing how to use it.
“The most important thing is that governments take this data and, with that information, begin to generate policies and public development plans. Because we realize that many governments, especially those in Latin America, do not use data to make decisions and, therefore, do not generate trust or value in citizens ”, emphasizes Salazar.
Specifically, the Government of Mexico needs to realize how to use and exploit this data, something that is already happening in the United States in a greater way. As an example, the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) uses a virtual assistant, generated by a computer called Emma , to answer questions and direct people to the correct area of the website.
In short, we can see that currently there are many governments that need to exploit the documentation they have. They need to take advantage of all that data to make better decisions and achieve better results.
What’s more, data should be the mainstay of current public policies since, as mentioned above, they generate enormous value .
For all this, it is key to continue working so that, day by day, governments are integrating and adopting this technology, so that they develop this culture of working with data, structuring it and managing it, in order to do something that is efficient and productive for the citizenship.