The Double Side of Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector

Abstract

The introduction of artificial intelligence in the public sector seems to be both a positive and negative development. On the one hand, artificial intelligence could improve the efficiency of public bodies due to the acceleration of the decision-making process, especially for repetitive procedures to free up public servants. Big data analysis, artificial intelligence, and the Internet of Things applied to the public sector could allow the reshaping of public service delivery. This is so, on the one hand, because data becomes a ‘piece of reality’ and, therefore, the aggregate analysis of data gives a realistic and objective picture of the current society. On the other hand, some concerns arise when artificial intelligence dissociates civil servants from the recipients of their services or affects the rights of these recipients. Scholars are called upon to reflect on the nature of artificial intelligence to overcome obstacles related to the ‘black box’ nature of its functioning and to better implement it in the public sector field. Legal rules and principles in the administrative decision-making process play a crucial role as they risk hindering the development of artificial intelligence in the public sector, as the Italian case-law highlights.