The Democracy Lab for Artificial Intelligence is part of the Norwegian Board of Technology’s strategic initiatives. It focuses on how AI is becoming closely integrated into people’s everyday lives, raising important value-based questions and ethical dilemmas.
Life events such as having a child, needing mental health support, or finding a job are examples of situations where AI may play a significant role. The Government’s goal is for public administration to work smarter in a time when tasks are increasing and resources are limited. At the same time, this could fundamentally change public services. Deciding which solutions to implement, and in which areas, requires careful consideration. There is a need for input not only from experts, but also from citizens themselves.
The report is available in Norwegian below:
Innbyggerverksted: Kunstig intelligens i offentlige tjenester
In this Democracy Lab, we invited 26 randomly selected citizens to discuss both the opportunities and challenges of using AI in public services. Overall, we found a fundamentally positive attitude towards the use of artificial intelligence, while participants also identified dilemmas and ethical challenges that must be carefully managed.
As a basis for discussion, the Norwegian Board of Technology developed three case stories illustrating how AI could be used in hypothetical future public services. The discussions took place in five groups, each led by a moderator from the Board. In addition, all participants completed a survey exploring several of the perspectives raised in the three cases.
About the report
The report is divided into the following main chapters:
- The chapter “Public services in transition” describes the potential and need to make use of artificial intelligence in the public sector, as well as the methodology and implementation of the citizen workshop.
- The following three chapters present three different cases – a digital companion for pregnant women, a personalised AI psychologist, and predictive youth interventions – and summarise the group discussions.
- The chapter “Attitudes toward the use of artificial intelligence” summarises findings from the participant survey.
Citizens’ advice to public authorities
Participants were asked to provide advice to public authorities on the use of AI in citizen-facing services. Their recommendations were as follows:
- Ensure strong data security and privacy protection
- AI can supplement, but not always replace, human professionals
- Use AI to simplify services
- Use freed-up resources to strengthen service provision
- Start where the consequences are small
- Be cautious with predictive analytics
- Ensure equal access to AI-based services for all citizens
- Collaborate on shared solutions across municipalities
