Romania's AI strategy, Pakistan's DPI, and Japan says goodbye to floppy disks
Edition #84 The Japanese government finally delivers on a long-awaited promise to shelve floppy disks, while the UK's new government reveals its plans to supercharge the country's digital services...
In our previous edition, we looked at some of the challenges facing digital government efforts in Asia, from a cyberattack on Indonesia’s national data centers to a case study on the obstacles facing Brunei in becoming a digital nation.
This week, our attention is on the role of central digital offices in government, following the announcement from the new UK Labour administration that the Government Digital Service (GDS) and Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO) - the bodies that have propelled the UK to its digital government successes - are to be moved from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. For more coverage of this move in particular, check out public.digital’s latest newsletter.
Our main stories this week:
Romania’s AI strategy
The UK’s revamped DSIT to transform digital public services, says government
Japan’s farewell to the floppy disk era of governance (yes, really)
As a reminder, we have recently begun to expand our digital government coverage away from just Substack and onto Linkedin, Twitter, and Instagram. For original content, audience engagement, and roundups of all our pieces, feel free to follow us over on those channels. Also check out our sister newsletter, interweave.africa.
Romanian government approves artificial intelligence strategy – Sebastian Rotaru, Euractiv
Romania has approved a new national artificial intelligence strategy for 2024-2027 to align with EU ambitions, as it aims to become a global leader in AI.
The strategy emphasizes rapid adoption of AI by state institutions, specifically targeting risk analysis, public tenders, and the optimization of public spending.
Collaboration between academia, private and public sectors will drive the strategy across five priority areas, including digital public administration and future technologies like AI, 5G, and IoT.
In an unusual move from a government, the transformation will be overseen not by a Department for Science or Technology, but by the country’s domestic and foreign intelligence services.
Our Take: As Romania embarks on its AI journey, the focus on regulatory frameworks and collaboration will be crucial. While the strategy promises ambitious advancements - off the back of Bucharest being awarded the EU’s new European Cybersecurity Competence Center and Network - ensuring the infrastructure and regulatory environment are robust will be key to realizing the full potential of AI without creating new challenges for end users. Elsewhere in Romanian news this week, the country has signed an MoU with Google focused on digital infrastructure and cloud computing.
Revamped DSIT to transform digital public services, says government - Alex Scroxton, Computer Weekly
The United Kingdom’s Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) has announced a major machinery of government change for digital public services.
The restructured department will include “key entities such as the Government Digital Service (GDS), Central Digital and Data Office (CDDO), and the Incubator for AI (i.AI)”, all of which have been moved from the Cabinet Office to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.
The digitization remit of DSIT will now span critical sectors from energy to health, policing to education.
The restructuring aims to establish DSIT as the main digital government epicenter to improve convenience and accessibility for citizens, as well as leverage technology for economic growth.
Japan’s government says goodbye to floppy disks - Kelly Ng, BBC News
Japan’s Digital Minister Taro Kono has declared victory over an aging foe: the floppy disks which had until recently proliferated within the Japanese government.
Kono had set out the goal of eradicating floppy disks as part of the government’s technological modernization efforts of its Digital Agency, launched in 2021.
Previously, over 1,000 regulations had required the use of floppy disks for government services.
Floppy disks were invented in the 1960s and began falling out of favor compared to new data storage devices in the 1990s, with 3.5” floppy disks only storing <2MB of data.
Our Take: While it’s easy to see the humor in this example of legacy government technology, it is important to recognize the different journeys countries take on the path to digital modernization. Local context, such as Japan’s continued practice of hanko stamps, is crucial for governments to consider when thinking about digital government.
GovTech News in Brief
UNDP and Kyrgyzstan employ AI to mitigate natural disaster risks - Daryo
Kyrgyzstan is partnering with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to address the risks posed by the flooding of high-mountain lakes by employing AI tools to enhance disaster risk management, continuing the efforts to advance digitalization in the country.
EU to fund digital programs with €108m, including digital identity - Masha Borak, Biometric Update
The EU has issued a €108m tranche of funding to help develop digital identity solutions for digitizing public services, part of the broader €7.5bn Digital Europe Programme.
Taiwan to test CBDC prototype via 'digital voucher' system as soon as year-end - Timmy Shen, The Block
Taiwan’s central bank intends to launch a CBDC prototype through a collaboration with the Ministry of Digital Affairs’ digital voucher platform, rather than the blockchain solution which most nations are exploring.
Is AI the answer for better government services? - Pedro Garcia, BBC News
Governments are increasingly using generative AI chatbots to automate public services, with the UK and Portugal testing them with mixed results. Due to accuracy challenges, experts caution against replacing human civil servants, emphasizing the importance of accountability and reliability.
Our Take: While AI chatbots offer potential for efficiency, ensuring their accuracy and maintaining human oversight are crucial to preventing misinformation and upholding accountability in public service delivery.
Estonia reimagines the digital economy with real-time solutions - Yogesh Hirdaramani, GovInsider
Viktoria Bõstrjak-Butorina talks about why Estonia - a long-time pioneer of digital government - is taking a bet on “the real-time economy” as the backbone of the country’s latest digital evolution.
The hacker turned politician using digital tech to reimagine democracy - Laura Spinney, New Scientist
New Scientist profiles former Taiwanese Digital Minister Audrey Tang, describing the rise of the nation’s digital government from a hacking collective to one of the leading proponents of “radical transparency” in Asia.
Laos moves to foster digital transformation of gov’t services - Huaxia, Xinhua
Laos is advancing its digital transformation by incorporating ICT in education and public services, developing digital government systems, and fostering international partnerships to enhance efficiency and connectivity.
Hong Kong government to adopt city’s own ChatGPT-style tool after OpenAI further blocks access - William Yiu, South China Morning Post
After OpenAI further blocked access to ChatGPT for Hong Kong and mainland China, the city’s innovation chief has announced that government departments will begin using a locally developed LLM tool in their day-to-day working.
Digital public infrastructure is transforming lives in Pakistan. Here's how - Tariq Malik and Prerna Saxena, World Economic Forum
Digital public infrastructure is changing how Pakistan operates, Malik and Saxena argue, with highlights including the National Database & Registration Authority, income support programs, and new initiatives such as integrated banking and telco services.
The Theory Behind the Practice
Why do big digital projects in the public sector fail? - Samir Jeraj, The New Statesman
Jeraj argues that digital transformation requires more comprehensive planning and management to foster a protective environment for critical national infrastructure, which is often made difficult by the large-scale costs associated with the projects.
Improving lives with just one click: how digital technologies can revolutionize public services - Massimiliano Paolucci, World Bank
Paolucci describes how Kosovo is transforming its public services through digital public infrastructure, focusing on citizen-centric approaches, a whole-of-government integration, and single-data submissions to enhance efficiency, accessibility, and trust.
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