Governing in the Age of AI
Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
Working with political leaders to drive change ??
Welcome to Institute Insights, where TBI experts bring to life our work helping political leaders drive change that transforms lives.?
In this edition, Senior Policy Advisor Alexander Iosad delves into how AI can revolutionise government operations, enhancing efficiency and transforming citizen interactions. Digital & Tech Transformation Manager Martin Kalima looks at Malawi’s digital-transformation journey including strategic infrastructure developments and empowering public servants and citizens with digital-skills training.
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How Can AI Revolutionise Government?
AI is a general-purpose technology that, like previous innovations such as steam power, electricity or computing, will transform the world. But this time, much of the infrastructure needed to accelerate its adoption has already been developed – the internet, cloud, data, chips – so change will come quickly.
The private sector is ramping up investment in digital infrastructure so it can reap the benefits of AI. Governments must keep pace, because a failure to modernise is a failure to govern.
AI can make countless daily tasks performed by public-sector workers better, faster and cheaper. It can help plan services to match demand, accelerate application processing, reduce bureaucracy, upgrade research, improve communication with citizens, model and intervene in complex systems, and much more.
This will lead to major changes in how governments interact with citizens, perform daily operations and make decisions. In time, we could see the development of digital public assistants that intelligently suggest and immediately deliver services to citizens while preserving control and privacy. We could see smart AI tools for public-sector workers that take care of routine work, freeing people up to tackle complex issues and improve services. We could see national data platforms and computational twins that empower political leaders to make better decisions that drive long-term prosperity.
To take advantage of these opportunities, governments must drive change from the centre, with greater coordination in terms of how AI can advance strategy, policy and delivery. They will need to invest in computing and AI capabilities, with a blend of custom models and off-the-shelf solutions. They will need to develop AI capabilities within the civil service and make public-sector jobs attractive for people with the right technical skills. To deliver this, they will need to work in close partnership with the private sector.
The potential rewards for harnessing AI tools are immense. Strategic investment in enabling technologies can transform the state, helping governments globally drive changes that improve people’s lives.
Read “Governing in the Age of AI: A New Model to Transform the State “, a joint report by the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and Faculty.
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Advancing Digital Transformation With Strategic Infrastructure and Skills Development
As Malawi continues to progress in its digital-transformation efforts, significant strides have been made in closing internet-connectivity gaps. Critical to this are government efforts and initiatives to enhance the country’s digital infrastructure and build essential skills among public servants and citizens.?
Regarding infrastructure development, the government has laid approximately 3,000 kilometres of a national fibre-backbone network, an important step that connects major sectors of the economy and government institutions. Complementing this, SpaceX’s Starlink now provides high-speed, low-latency satellite broadband across Malawi after it became one of the first African countries to welcome the technology in 2022. ?
But providing affordable internet services to underserved communities is even more critical to closing the connectivity gap. Through the Universal Service Fund (USF), TBI’s Malawi team has collaborated with the government to empower community cooperatives. These groups, which now function as local internet service providers (ISPs), are set to deliver affordable internet services across an initial eight districts, furthering connectivity.?
In addition, the World Bank-funded Digital Malawi Project has supported the construction of a robust data centre in Lilongwe, the capital. Nearing completion, this facility will ensure reliable and scalable data services. With two high-class data centres in operation, Malawi will enhance the reliability of its infrastructure, creating an attractive environment for businesses and reducing the need for extensive local infrastructure investments.?
Finally, realising the full potential of digital transformation also hinges on the workforce and the citizenry’s ability to leverage new technology. The government has revised the school curriculum at primary and secondary levels to include foundational digital-skills training. Additionally, in partnership with TBI, more than 100 civil servants have received tailor-made digital-skills training.
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5 个月AI is no longer a necessity but vital. Governments need to meticulously plan for the adoption of AI to fasten the delivery of commitments to citizens, while also implementing strong governance framework to manage the use of AI.
It's essential to embrace change in the AI-ce Age, ride the wave or rapidly get left behind for a generation.