Generative artificial intelligence (gen AI) is more than just a buzzword. It has the potential to be a useful tool in the toolbox for government agencies and presents new ways of working and engaging with residents. There’s a lot to consider. To get started, federal and state and local agencies must be upfront with defining gen AI. This lays the groundwork for transparency and knowledge-sharing with residents, as well as serves to understand how residents interact with government services and AI.
“Residents have the right to know whether they are talking to a human or an AI bot.”
Aseem Gupta , Executive Client Partner, State & Local
For governments, 2024 will be about exploring new ways of engaging with residents. By this time next year, the public sector will be updating transparency guidelines and providing clarity on how generative AI is being used when it comes to government interactions with residents. As machine learning accelerates with new human input on a near-constant basis, AI functions such as chatbots are becoming more “human” and articulate in their responses, being able to recognize “sentiment” in real time by interpreting voice, text and tone clues. This has implications for operational efficiency and personalization of experience. Government agencies will need to create transparency and effective data governance around how customer service is delivered and whether it’s a human or computer at the other end of the phone line.
In order to build the best use cases for ever-evolving tech applications, both federal and state and local (S&L) agencies must start by defining what gen AI means to the public sector, including understanding what forms of gen AI residents are already using. Agencies are already automating routine processes that are well-bound and established. Looking to the future, federal agencies have questions similar to those of commercial counterparts—questions such as, "What is AI and what are its potential use cases?" While there is apprehension in certain corners, there is more intrigue as to the potential use cases and applications that generative AI can solve for. On the S&L side, agencies are exploring what gen AI means and its potential impact. Gen AI work is generally RFP-based as agencies seek practical use cases to apply AI in the S&L space. For example, can gen AI pull up a form and autofill the required information on behalf of a resident who needs help filing an unemployment form? With gen AI, analytics are baked into it, adding automation and the feel of a “personal assistant” to the resident experience. In 2024, residents are likely to see ever more business use cases generated around the functions and capabilities that government agencies serve. A focus on personalization and improved customer experience will be realized as the technology develops.
The go-to-market impact will be:
Here are three focus areas that can help agencies understand what’s at stake with generative AI.
There are many great use cases for gen AI in government services for residents, such as chatbot support, case management and intelligent case routing. In 2024, most use cases will be centered around content generation with the intent to accelerate the government's cycle of creating and approving material meant for dissemination. One example of this is accelerating the RFQ (request for quote) creation process by using gen AI to facilitate the compilation of standard solicitation language and allow the government to focus on the requirements of the bid. Another use case is drafting content with a certain voice that can be reviewed before publishing (think tweets or research summaries)—the content meets the criteria specified by the government and can go straight into editorial reviews. Yet another use case area is "personalized services,” the next-generation FAQ (frequently asked questions) services, where gen AI is leveraged to help customers navigate to program information most relevant to what they need.
Gen AI is here to stay—and revolutionize—the way in which residents interact with the government in the public sector. Federal and state and local agencies must be upfront with defining gen AI and share knowledge with residents. The public sector should seize and maximize huge opportunities in which gen AI can bring value and empower residents and government agencies alike.