Peculiarities of using artificial intelligence in the public administration

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Gori state university

Peculiarities of using artificial intelligence in the public administration

Giuli Giguashvili,

doctor of economics, professor

Tamar Makasarashvili,

doctor of economics, professor

Gori

Abstract

artificial intelligence managerial

Digital transformation of public administration is one of the priorities of the Georgian government. In recent years, as a result of the implementation of digital governance initiatives and reforms, the possibilities of using artificial intelligence in the public sector of Georgia are increasing. Despite the fact that Georgia has a favourable environment for the establishment of artificial intelligence, the actual indicators of its use are still small.

The subject of the research of many scientists in Georgia is the processing of data related to specific studies with the help of artificial intelligence, the evaluation of the obtained results, and the development of recommendations, bringing this process into the legal framework. Along with offering products and services based on artificial intelligence to the public sector, it is no less significant to implement them in the administrative decision-making process, which will increase the efficiency of public administration and contribute to democratic governance improvement.

Keywords: public administration, artificial intelligence.

Main part

The use of digital technologies is a necessary condition for increasing the efficiency of public administration and the development of the country's economy. In recent years, the role of artificial intelligence has increased in all fields, including when making management decisions, which is an irreversible process. Georgia has made significant efforts to improve the efficiency of public administration, which has significantly reduced bureaucratic barriers, strengthened the institutional capacity of a number of administrative bodies, and made relations with the state more comfortable for citizens and legal entities. A number of evaluations by world international organizations have emphasized the significant progress of Georgia's reforms, the presence of strong political will, and the validity of the government's approaches in terms of the creative use of innovative technologies, which brought tangible progress to the country in the form of creating a transparent public administration system [1].

In 2022, according to the United Nations E-Government Survey, which is evaluated according to three components, e-information, e-consultation, and edecision making, Georgia advanced in the ranking compared to 2020 and took the 60th place. Compared to 2020, Georgia's score in 2022 has decreased by 0.09 points, although the position has improved from 80th to 72nd place. The deterioration was also observed in the GovTech Readiness Index, which the World Bank has been publishing since 2019. It includes opportunities for the modernization of the public sector. As of 2022, Georgia is in Group B, which means that the government is making significant GovTech investments and good practices in most priority areas. According to the «Global Cybersecurity Index» of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), which checks the existence of legal, technical, organizational, capacity-building, and cooperation tools in countries, Georgia was ranked 55th out of 182 countries in 2020 with a score of 81.06. It took the 30th place in the European region. The Global Innovation Index (GII) ranks the world's economies according to their capacity for innovation. In the mentioned index in 2023, Georgia has improved by nine positions compared to the previous year and is in 65th place. According to the World Bank's Business Ready, Georgia is one of the leading countries in terms of ease of doing business, and among 193 countries, it still holds the 7th position in the world [1:12].

In 2023, with the financial support of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), an assessment of Georgia's digital ecosystem (USAID - Georgia Digital Ecosystem Country Assessment - DECA) was carried out, where, among other aspects, the development level of the components supporting digital governance was assessed [2].

One of the main keys to public administration reform success lies in the innovative approaches introduction and the maximum use of new technologies. Technologies contribute to increasing the availability of services to administrative bodies, shortening the delivery time of public services, and establishing effective feedback with users.

The best opportunity to increase public sector efficiency is artificial intelligence use. In the modern world, interest in artificial intelligence is rapidly growing. International news media, the world's leading politicians, and researchers devote a colossal space to artificial intelligence. The topic related to artificial intelligence also dominates in international studies and political-legal agreements about the future of the public sector and digital transformation.

The scientific paper aims to analyze, evaluate, and develop recommendations for the purpose of improving the data presented in the scientific literature and policy documents on public administration.

Research and evaluations play a major role in planning digital technologies in public administration and improving the existing environment. The electronic readiness survey (E-Readiness Survey) conducted in 2016 is significant and become a noteworthy source of information in terms of planning future steps in the reform process. In order to conduct full-fledged research in the country, it is necessary that the research methodology be based not only on interviews and other methods with subjective approaches but also primarily on data. For this, in such processes as the creation and delivery of state electronic services, communication with citizens, or optimization of business processes, it is necessary to constantly generate various types of data, which, in turn, will contribute to the implementation of data-based research. In this process, unconditional advantage is given to artificial intelligence.

Today, all over the world, both developed and strong economic countries, as well as developing and low-resource states, are actively using artificial intelligence and digital technologies to solve tasks in the public sector, make optimal decisions, and improve the experience of citizens' interactions with public agencies. Artificial intelligence offers a number of significant opportunities for the public sector.

It is noteworthy that developed countries use artificial intelligence most actively in the following areas:

• Improving governance processes and public sector activities using algorithms; modernization of public policy;

• Automation of business processes of public agencies, updating of document circulation and case management systems;

• Stimulation of innovative projects in the public sector;

• Providing e-government services and enhancing citizen engagement, including offering proactive and personalized services.

The capabilities of artificial intelligence are most effectively used to solve the following public tasks:

> Enforcement: legal and regulatory requirements enforcement, monitoring, and inspection.

> Public policy research, analysis, monitoring: supporting evidence - and data - based decision-making. Analysis/argumentation based on existing cases/cases (Case-based Reasoning), making new decisions based on existing data and old cases.

> Public services and engagement: improving the provision of public services focused on citizens and business entities, personalization of services, perceiving the meaning of information by logical-deductive methods and simplifying the search for such information; Finding and offering personalized public services tailored to the citizen's priorities and requirements.

> The subsidy, social assistance provision: identification of specific target groups for social assistance.

> Internal document circulation systems: organizational management systems' support (personnel, procurement, ICT systems) [3].

Back in 2021, the Institute for the Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) conducted a study in Georgia within the framework of the «Promotion of Transparency and Ethical Standards in the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)» project, the main goal of which is to promote greater transparency, development of ethical standards and Facilitating implementation [3]. As a result of the research, the main challenges related to the use of artificial intelligence systems were identified:

• Protection of human rights and freedom, rule of law, justice, and principles of democratic, good governance;

• Reliability, responsibility, security, transparency, and accountability of artificial intelligence-based algorithms;

• A certain imbalance between the potential capabilities of artificial intelligence and the resulting indicators of existing examples;

• Less transformational, more focused on productivity growth, faster, more efficient service delivery, and less concern for openness and publicity.

To overcome the challenges mentioned above, the 2024-2029 strategy of digital governance of Georgia was developed, which is in line with the «Government Program 2021-2024» [4] and «Development Strategy of Georgia - Vision 2030» [5], with the defined goals and objectives.

Services supported by artificial intelligence can bring many benefits to humanity. The large-scale use of this technology in the Georgia public and private sectors is a prerequisite for a transparent, accountable, and effective state management system establishment. Therefore, the country continues to pursue the in-depth reforms announced in the following policy documents:

• Public Administration Reform Strategy of Georgia 2023-2026 [6]

• State Services Development Strategy 2022-2025 [7]

• Cyber Security Strategy of Georgia 2021-2024 [8]

• Open Government Action Plan of Georgia 2024-2025 [9].

It is significant that currently, several hundred electronic services can be used in Georgia. As technology evolves, so do consumer expectations of digital assets. In this regard, the reliability of digital assets is of critical importance, which in turn contributes to the digital development of public administration and business in the country. One of the achievements of the carried-out reform is the operation of the unified portal of electronic services - My.gov.ge. More than 730 e-services are currently available through the portal. Unified e-services portal My.gov.ge is a significant service provider with growing popularity according to statistical data of recent years, as evidenced by more than 350,000 registered users and more than 5 million users of services.

State institutions in Georgia are trying to implement high service standards in almost all areas. Thus, on the one hand, meet the customers' needs and, on the other hand, justify their expectations. The modern user expects to have information of interest available to him from any place, at any time, and as quickly as possible, which the existing legal framework and practice in Georgia cannot provide in all cases. Organized by the Agency for Digital Governance and the Agency for the Development of State Services, the Ministry of Justice, together with international experts, works to improve the current regulatory legal framework and harmonize it with the legislation and practice of the European Union [1].

The increasing reliance on electronic services brings additional challenges in terms of the security of the corresponding networks and systems. Against the backdrop of the increasing use of information and communication technologies and innovative approaches in the public sector, the Government of Georgia approved the third national cyber security strategy in 2021, the main goal of which in the coming years is to ensure the stability of the Georgian cyberspace, to create effective mechanisms for dealing with existing threats and challenges.

Georgia has many years of experience in relations with international organizations and donors in the digital governance direction. In recent years, a number of successful projects have been implemented. The mentioned initiatives' proper implementation created the image of a positive and reliable international partner for the country, which can be used by Georgia to establish it as an information and communication technologies regional hub.

Research conducted in the field of digital governance in Georgia in recent years reveals that the rate and awareness of the use of electronic services significantly lag behind the variety of digital services offered by the state to the population and the amount of potential benefits that the country's society can receive in case of full use of existing public products. The mentioned situation is primarily directly related to the lack of information regarding public mechanisms and digital services in the general public. Therefore, special attention should be paid to raising awareness of the mentioned issues, improving the delivery of electronic services, especially artificial intelligence systems, and encouraging the use of artificial intelligence services.

In the public sector of Georgia, the following remain significant challenges: the weakness of the state policy of digital governance based on unified approaches; non-uniform practice of creating and providing electronic services; Scarcity of human and infrastructural-technical resources; Weakness of processes and elements supporting digital governance; Strengthening the role of Georgia as a technologically developed, innovative country and regional leader in the field of digital governance.

In order to develop public administration, first of all, it is significant to have an appropriate coordinating instrument; strengthen educational and research direction; Enhance cooperation between public and private sectors on digital governance issues; and Improve the legal framework, standards, and procedures.

In order to implement artificial intelligence in the public sector and create new services through it, it is necessary to mobilize government structures and update relevant business processes, involve qualified personnel, and update the necessary data and technical infrastructure, digital transformation, which in turn includes all areas: strategy, human resources, processes, Data, technologies and infrastructure, legal and ethical frameworks - these are the areas that the public sector should work on developing in the process of introducing artificial intelligence.

Stimulating the use of modern technologies, including artificial intelligence, not only in the public sector but also in the entire country ensures stable development. The population of Georgia will receive all the benefits that accompany the introduction of artificial intelligence.

References

[1] 2024-2029 Strategy of Digital Governance of Georgia. https://dga.gov.ge/files/adzFNv0yjHUf.pdf

[2] Georgia Digital Ecosystem Country Assessment (DECA). URL: https://www.usaid.gov/digital-development/georgia-deca

[3] The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) (2021). Artificial Intelligence: Meaning, International Standards, Ethical Norms, Recommendations and Conclusions. https://idfi.ge/ge/artificial_intelligence_meaning_international_standards_ethical % 20nor ms_recommendations_and_conclusions

[4] «Government Program 2021-2024», https://www.gov.ge/

[5] «Development Strategy of Georgia - Vision 2030», https://www.gov.ge/files/428_85680_321942_khedva-2030-saqarthvelos-ganvitharebis - strategia-1.pdf

[6] Georgian Public Administration Reform Strategy 2023-2026, https://www.gov.ge/

[7] Development strategy of state services 2022-2025, https://www.gov.ge/

[8] Cyber Security Strategy of Georgia 2021-2024, https://www.gov.ge/

[9] Open Governance Action Plan of Georgia 2024-2025, https://www.gov.ge/

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