Could ChatGPT help solve the burnout crisis in government?
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We hosted one of our largest-ever online events at the beginning of May 2023.
More than 3,200 people registered, and nearly 800 took part in our Zoom poll on generative AI in government. The numbers tell their own story. Just like the rest of society, there is a very real sense of curiosity and concern among public servants about this turning point.
Public servants work in a unique environment. The stakes are higher when it comes to government adoption of powerful new technologies, so there is unsurprisingly a lot of interest in trying to understand the implications for their day to day work.
Below are some takeaways and insights from our discussion, which you can watch in full. A special thanks to our excellent speakers on the day: Nicoletta Iacobacci, Phd , Kristo Vaher and Manuel Paolillo .
Public servants don’t use ChatGPT
We asked the audience how often they’re using ChatGPT and other generative AI tools currently.?
Most aren’t: 55% said they never use it, and 15% said they only use it infrequently.? This aligns with an earlier (smaller) poll we did in March, where 60% of respondents said they weren’t using new AI tools at work.?
There was a small group of early adopters (6%) who said they are already using it every day – some said it had become their preferred search tool. Among those who aren’t using it, there was uncertainty about whether they are allowed to, which led them to err on the side of caution and not use it at all. Others commented that they were only using it in their personal life.
Curiosity trumps concern?
While most of our attendees said they aren’t using generative AI tools yet, the balance of opinion weighed decisively in favour of hope and excitement over fear or nervousness.?
Among the optimists, one concern was that government could get left behind in the tech revolution, as public organisations can be slow to adopt new tools. For those who are more fearful, there are familiar concerns about the unknown implications and the lack of regulation currently in place.?
One concern was that government could get left behind in the tech revolution.
Could ChatGPT help solve the burnout crisis?
Burnout is a big issue in government right now. In our direct conversations with public servants around the world, discussion forums and articles on our platform, the issue keeps cropping up.
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There are several reasons for this, not least the ongoing effort to recover public services from the global pandemic. But the upshot is that public servants are looking for ways to make their work more efficient.
Could generative AI tools be (part of) the answer?
There are important critical perspectives on the risks of using generative AI in public policy and administration. Some of the top issues shared in our discussion included:
But the potential for new generative AI tools to automate tasks that can become repetitive or very formulaic has become a fact of life almost overnight. ChatGPT can synthesise and summarise information faster than any human. You can imagine its potential applications in government:
These are all examples of tasks which increase individual efficiency with limited (or no) impact on policy outcomes.?
Our poll shows that public servants are more excited than fearful of these new tools – a small coterie are already experimenting with them. So how should governments regulate their usage?
They have to be pragmatic about whether internal policies can hold back the tide of personal interest. They'll also need to think about the long-term implications of isolating the public sector from a technology that rapidly dominates the rest of society.
They have to be pragmatic about whether internal policies can hold back the tide of personal interest.
Those are heady concerns.
For now, thousands of our members just want to log off a little earlier every night.?
ChatGPT may be one way to help them do that. But it’s an open question whether it’s the right way. We’ll be watching closely (and sharing widely) how governments find this balance.?
Join the conversation on our platform with Robyn Scott , CEO and co-founder of Apolitical:
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If you’re thinking about or working with AI in your role in government, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to: [email protected].