A public values perspective on the application of Artificial Intelligence in government practices: a synthesis of case studies

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) by governments represents a radical transformation of governance, which has the potential for a lean government to provide personalised services that are efficient and cost-effective. This represents the next frontier of digital-era governance (DEG), which is an extension of the traditional bureaucratic model representing digital manifestations of instrumental rationality. However, the use of AI also introduces new risks and ethical challenges (such as biased data, fairness, transparency, the surveillance state, and citizen behavioural control) that need to be addressed by governments. This chapter critiques DEG enabled by AI. The authors argue for adopting a public values perspective for managing AI ethical dilemmas. Through a cross-case analysis of 30 government AI implementations, four primary AI use cases are outlined. Furthermore, a conceptual model is developed that identifies relationships between AI ethical principles and public values as drivers of AI adoption by citizens. Finally, six propositions are outlined for future research.