AI & the Public Sector: My Recent Presentation

I was delighted to recently record a presentation for the American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees AFSME - Ohio Council 8. AFSME represent 1.3m employees and retirees.

Ohio Council 8 represents public service workers in both the public and private sectors, representing clerical, technical, professional and service and maintenance employees from multiple sectors.

The presentation was as a result of the publication of my 4th book 'AI and the Future of the Public Sector' which was my 'Lockdown Project' during the Pandemic, and which was published in late 2022. It reflected on how the sector must change as a result of a combination of new technologies and financial pressures

Preparing for the presentation reminded me yet again of the depth, complexity and importance of the public sector, and the depth of gratitude that we need to show to the sector as they play their part in civilised society.

Presenting to a union movement creates a different angle to this challenging topic. The fundamental role of unions is to protect their members - yet the AI technology 'genie' is out of the bottle, and forward thinking organisations need to figure out how best to manage the situation. My discussions with UK union movement during the preparation of my book had also underpinned the sensitivity of the topic.

What can we learn from history on this topic? The famous Luddite Movement in England in the 19th Century are best known for destroying the new technology - looms - that were being introduced, but their particular objection was not about the new machinery of the industrial age, but rather the absence of consultation between employer and employee.

We did the presentation through an audio link, which reminded me of how we all coped during the pandemic. Although I would have preferred to have been there in real life, distance just didn't make this feasible. But being a 'talking head' for half an hour isn't easy, or maybe I'm just getting a bit rusty.

I spoke about issues, challenges and risks, but there was so much to cover in a short session - and as always I wondered how my messaging could have been better. On this occasion I choose not to use Powerpoint but rather other visual techniques. I hope that listeners remember both the message and the visual triggers which aide recollection.

They also asked some hard questions. I shouldn't have been surprised, as perhaps the stakes are high in this particular contest.

At the end of the day, my key message to them was one of planning and preparation, and that forward-planning should replace fear of change. Perhaps its a message for all of us, both at a corporate and individual level. ?