Hello, World: Artificial Intelligence and Its Use in the Public Sector
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Hello, World: Artificial intelligence and its use in the public sector Jamie Berryhill Kévin Kok Heang Rob Clogher Keegan McBride November 2019 | http://oe.cd/helloworld OECD Working Papers on Public Governance No. 36 Cover images are the European Parliament and the dome of Germany’s Reichstag building processed through Deep Learning algorithms to match the style of Van Gogh paintings. tw Hello, World: Artificial Intelligence and its Use in the Public Sector Authors: Jamie Berryhill, Kévin Kok Heang, Rob Clogher, Keegan McBride PUBE 2 This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. 1. Note by Tukey: The information in this document with reference to ‘Cyprus’ relates to the southern part of the island. There is no single authority representing both Turkish and Greek Cypriot people on the island. Turkey recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Until a lasting and equitable solution is found within the context of the United Nations, Turkey shall preserve its position concerning the ‘Cyprus issue’. 2. Note by all the European Union Member States of the OECD and the European Commission: The Republic of Cyprus is recognised by all members of the United Nations with the exception of Turkey. The information in this document relates to the area under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. HELLO, WORLD: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS USE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR © OECD 2019 3 Foreword Artificial Intelligence (AI) is an area of research and technology application that can have a significant impact on public policies and services in many ways. In just a few years, it is expected that the potential will exist to free up nearly one-third of public servants’ time, allowing them to shift from mundane tasks to high-value work. Governments can also use AI to design better policies and make better decisions, improve communication and engagement with citizens and residents, and improve the speed and quality of public services. While the potential benefits of AI are significant, attaining them is not an easy task. Government use of AI trails that of the private sector; the field is complex and has a steep learning curve; and the purpose of, and context within, government are unique and present a number of challenges. The OECD Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI) (https://oecd-opsi.org) has prepared this working paper, Hello, World: Artificial Intelligence and its Use in the Public Sector, to help government officials understand AI and navigate considerations specific to the public sector. “Hello, World!” is traditionally the very first computer program written by someone learning how to code, and this primer is intended to enable public officials to take their first steps in exploring AI. It builds on the work of the OECD’s Going Digital project, a forthcoming OECD AI Policy Observatory (http://oecd.ai), and the Working Party of Senior Digital Government Officials (E- Leaders). It is the second in a series of overviews on topics of interest for the public sector innovation community, following Blockchains Unchained, published in June 2018. At a time of increasing complexity, uncertainty and shifting demands, governments and public servants need to understand, test and embed new ways of doing things. OPSI helps them by shining a light on governments’ efforts to create more efficient, effective and responsive policies and services and by accompanying them in their exploration and implementation of innovative approaches. Government can use—and in many cases is already using—AI to innovate. For instance, a number of global leaders already have strategies to build AI capacity as a national priority. AI can be used to make existing processes more efficient and accurate. It can be used to consume and analyse unstructured information, such as tweets, to help governments gain insights into citizen opinions. Finally, in looking to the future, it will be important to consider and prepare for the implications of AI on society, work, and human purpose. HELLO, WORLD: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS USE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR © OECD 2019 4 Acknowledgements Hello, World: Artificial Intelligence and its use in the Public Sector was prepared by the Directorate for Public Governance (GOV), under the leadership of Marcos Bonturi. The primer was produced by the Observatory of Public Sector Innovation (OPSI), in collaboration with the Working Party of Senior Digital Government Officials (E- Leaders) and the Network of the Observatory National Contact Points. The primer has been drafted by Kévin Kok Heang and Jamie Berryhill of OPSI; Rob Clogher, Executive Masters in Public Administration candidate at New York University and University College London; and Keegan McBride, Manager of GovAiLab at the School of Information Technologies based in Tallinn University of Technology. Piret Tõnurist and Alex Roberts of OPSI made significant contributions to the future-focus and anticipatory innovation section of Chapter 4. The work was carried out under the co-ordination of Marco Daglio (Head of OPSI and Acting Head of Division, RPS). Colleagues from within the OECD, including Luis Aranda, Barbara Ubaldi, Natalia Nolan Flecha, Delphine Moretti, Alistair Nolan and Karine Perset, reviewed and made comments. Liv Gaunt and David McDonald provided editorial assistance. The OPSI team also wishes to acknowledge the contributions of numerous stakeholders who shared insights through interviews, discussions, and correspondence. In particular, the team thanks Coline Cuau and Wietse Van Ransbeeck from CitizenLab; Dietmar Gattwinkel, Georges Lobo and Fidel Santiago from the European Commission; Gregg Blakely, Ashley Casovan, Noel Corriveau, Benoit Deshaies, Chelsea Escott, Russel Gauthier, Cezary Gesikowski, Hubert Laferriere, Michael Karlin, Laura MacDonald, Stan Martens, Patrick McEvenue, Amanda McPherson, Mark Robbins, and Jeremiah Stanghini from the Government of Canada; Aleksi Kopponen and Niko Ruostetsaari from the Government of Finland; Enzo Maria Le Fevre from the Government of Italy, Kenji Hiramoto, Ken Tamaru, and Hiroki Yoshida from the Government of Japan, Farah Hussain and Sebastien Krier from the Government of the United Kingdom; Dan Chenok from the IBM Center for The Business of Government, Olivia Elson from Results for Development; and Cosmina Dorobantu, Pauline Kinniburgh and Florian Ostmann from The Alan Turing Institute. Finally, the team wishes to acknowledge the contributions made by individuals during the public consultation phase of this primer (1 August-15 September, 2019). The OPSI team has made significant revisions and improvements to the report based on the feedback received, and the authors sincerely thank all who participated. While OPSI is unable to list everyone who participated, particularly noteworthy feedback was provided by John Atkinson, Javier Barreiro, Sonia Castro, Lequanne Collins-Bacchus, Stefan Bergheim, Martine Delannoy, Shachee Doshi, Michael Greenwood, Alex Goncharov, Raed Mansour, Mind Senses Global, Maria Marques, Roland Pihlakas, Karmen Kern Pipan, the Portuguese Psychologists Association, Olivia Shen, Craig Thomler, Stefan Torges, Colin van Noordt, Samuel Witherspoon and Nathan Young. HELLO, WORLD: ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ITS USE IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR © OECD 2019 5 Table of Contents Foreword ....................................................................................................................................... 3 Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... 4 Executive Summary ..................................................................................................................... 7 1. Artificial Intelligence: Definitions and context ..................................................................... 9 Defining Artificial Intelligence ................................................................................................ 11 General AI vs. Narrow AI ........................................................................................................ 13 Renewed enthusiasm for AI ..................................................................................................... 17 What is next for AI? ................................................................................................................. 27 2. Understanding different AI approaches .............................................................................. 30 Data as fuel for AI .................................................................................................................... 30 Evolution of AI: Rules-based AI versus Machine Learning .................................................... 39 Applying Machine Learning .................................................................................................... 46 Different ways machines can learn........................................................................................... 48 Other AI subfields benefiting from Machine Learning ............................................................ 59 Machine Learning performance ............................................................................................... 63 Machine Learning: Risks and challenges ................................................................................