The government is making a significant investment into AI in public services, and systems are changing apace.
AI is increasingly being deployed in every department of government, both national and local, and often through systems procured from external contractors.
In a recent article for Public Technology, mySociety’s Chief Executive Louise Crow flags that we urgently need to update our transparency and accountability mechanisms to keep pace with the automation of state decision-making.
This rapid adoption needs scrutiny: not only because significant amounts of money are being spent; but also because we’re looking at a new generation of digital systems in which the rules of operation are, by their very nature, opaque.
To see Louise’s thoughts on what needs to change, and why, as this new technological era unfolds, read the full piece here.
If you find it of interest, you may also wish to watch this recent event at the Institute for Government, The Freedom of Information Act at 25, where Louise was one of six speakers reflecting on the future of transparency in the UK.
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Image: Alex Socra