Artificial intelligence for the public sector: results of landscaping the use of AI in government across the European Union

Artificial Intelligence is increasingly being used by public sector organisations . Previous research highlighted that the use of AI technologies in government could improve policy making processes, public service delivery and the internal management of public administrations. In this article, we explore to which extent the use of AI in the public sector impacts these core governance functions. Findings from the review of a sample of 250 cases across the European Union, show that AI is used mainly to support improving public service delivery, followed by enhancing internal management and only in a limited number assist directly or indirectly policy decision-making. The analysis suggests that different types of AI technologies and applications are used in different governance functions, highlighting the need to further in-depth investigation to better understand the role and impact of use in what is being defined the governance “of, with and by AI”. • It is argued that Artificial Intelligence can greatly improve policy making, enhance public service delivery and strengthen internal management. • AI is used to detect new social issues for policymakers to base new policy on or to assist in the monitoring of the implementation of existing policy, and to possibly measure its effects. • For public services, instead, AI is most often deployed to enhance delivery mechanisms and promote information provision to citizens and businesses. • For internal management purposes, AI has also many diverse applications – ranging from supporting recruitment, cybersecurity, financial management to the better prediction of which assets require maintenance.