UAE's AI lawmaking, Germany's new Digital Ministry, and Greece's parental control app
Edition #116 The Digital Ministry marks a first for Europe's biggest economy, while elsewhere BCG and the TBI have both released landmark papers on AI use in government...
Last week, we were thinking about Digital Public Infrastructure, an ever-present theme in digital government today. We wrote about cross-border health data collaborations, Nordic coordination, and covered a conceptual reflection from the Gates Foundation on how DPI can support an economy.
This week, the biggest story in the digital government world is the founding of Germany’s new digital ministry. It is an early statement of intent from the Merz administration, and an interesting addition to the debate over Europe’s digital sovereignty. Elsewhere, the UAE is using AI to write its laws in a world-first, and multiple think tanks are reflecting on how governments can use AI to save money and cut through bureaucracy.
Our main stories this week:
UAE set to use AI to write laws in world first
Germany sets up new digital ministry
How AI can cut through bureaucracy, boost efficiency and build trust in government
Governing in the age of AI: reimagining local government
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.
UAE set to use AI to write laws in world first - Chloe Cornish, Financial Times
The UAE has announced plans to use artificial intelligence to help draft new legislation and amend existing laws.
This new project, termed “AI-driven regulation” by Emerati media, forms part of the country’s ambitious multi-billion-dollar initiative to leverage AI in government.
While we’ve previously covered how other governments are using AI to assist the public in interacting with legal systems, this is the first instance of a government using AI to actively support the lawmaking process.
Researchers have raised concerns about the AI's lack of transparency for users, potential biases in its training data, and whether it interprets laws in the same way humans do.
Germany sets up new digital ministry (also here) - Cynthia Kroet, EuroNews
Germany’s new Chanceller Merz has established a Digital Ministry for the first time, set to oversee duties and responsibilities previously divided between 6 different ministries.
The restructuring will involve the Ministry taking over AI responsibilities from the Ministry of Justice, as well as digital administration, digital society and IT procurement from the Ministry of the Interior.
The inaugural Digital Minister, Karsten Wildberger, was until recently the CEO of the parent company of consumer electronics company MediaMarkt and Saturn.
The departments on better regulation, bureaucracy reduction and proximity to the citizen as well as the Nationaler Normenkontrollrat (NKR) will also be brought together under one roof - ensuring that they remain part of the same conversation around modernization of the state.
How AI can cut through bureaucracy, boost efficiency and build trust in government - Various Authors, Boston Consulting Group
BCG’s latest paper on the opportunities of AI in government finds potential savings of 35% of total budget costs over 10 years through AI, vs 10-15% from traditional cost optimization.
The five most high potential use cases identified are: real-time applicant assistance; automated data mapping; document evaluation and routing; quick access to policy information; and document drafting/ citizen communication.
In using AI, the authors argue that governments should start with their most widely acknowledged trouble spots; high-volume activities; areas of lower risk; and independently owned processes.
In achieving this digitization, say the authors, governments should focus 70% of their energy on people and processes as the primary drivers for change (not tech).
Governing in the age of AI: reimagining local government - Various Authors, The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change
With an estimated additional £16 billion needed to deliver local government services in the UK by 2029 vs 2020, the TBI look at how local councils can use AI to govern better.
Through a partnership with one local government, the TBI found that 26% of a list of 19,000 tasks could be automated by AI.
Scaled nationally, this could save £8 billion annually across local authorities in England and Wales - 380 million hours of work or £325 per household.
TBI is calling for the creation of a new institution - the Devolved AI Service - which would act as a co-operative platform for local governments to innovate.
Our Take: In less positive local government news this week, FF Studio’s case study of care case management covers challenges with vendor lock-in and coordination.
GovTech News in Brief
All Thai government units to adopt digital systems by 2026 - Wichit Chanatanusornsiri and Suchit Leesa-Nguansuk, Bangkok Post
The Thai government plans to invest ~$15bn USD in digital infrastructure in order for the country to fully adopt digital systems, with the goal of inducing growth through technology across the economy.
Palau begins shift to digital passports with help from Japan - Leilani Reklai, Island Times
Micronesian country Palau has begun transitioning from traditional paper passports to more secure electronic passports. With support from a $4.7 million grant from Japan, the government is currently working on establishing an appropriate legal and regulatory framework for e-passports.
Greece launches state app to limit children's screen time - Dmytro Hubenko, DW
Greece has launched an app called “Kids Wallet”, which allows parents to verify their children’s age for online platforms and monitor their screen time.
A decree to digitally forge a new chapter in development for Laos - James Yau, GovInsider
Vannapha Phommathansy discusses Laos’s significant progress in driving digitalization across its government and society. For instance, over 98% of the country now has access to telecom infrastructure, and the country launched 5G services last year in major cities.
More public offices in Singapore adopt government chatbot to enhance productivity - Zhaki Abdullah, Straits Times
Around 100,000 of Singapore’s public officers (~1/3 of the total workforce) are now using Pair, the country’s secured and private version of ChatGPT, in their government work.
France and Germany unveil Docs, a homegrown alternative to Google Docs - Alfonso Maruccia, TechSpot
The two largest economies in the EU have collaborated to create an open-source alternative to Google Docs called Docs, designed to emphasize “simplicity” amid the backdrop of increased tensions between the US and Europe.
Our Take: It’s a new day in Brussels, and the EU is now taking more deliberate actions to cut bureaucratic red tape, doubling down on investment in digital public infrastructure and, in some cases, slowly raising the drawbridge to foreign technology firms in the face of stiff digital competition from the US and China.
Truly no-wrong door: ServiceSG brings WOG services to less digitally ready citizens - Si Ying Thian, GovInsider
In the first of a two-part story on Singapore’s ServiceSG, GovInsider spotlights how the Public Service Division (PSD) has integrated 600 services across 25 agencies.
UN Digital ID program targets system-wide expansion - Lu-Hai Liang, Biometric Update
The UN Digital ID, an interoperable system to enable UN staff to manage and share verified personal data, is set to enter phase two of its implementation.
The Theory Behind the Practice
e-Government services spectacularly ignored by EU citizens. But why is that? - Alessio Dell’Anna and Mert Can Yilmaz, EuroNews
Despite high-profile investments in e-government services, the EU still lags (comparatively speaking) in digital literacy skills, with an estimated 44% of the population lacking “basic” digital skills. The EU has set a target of 80% for digital literacy by 2030.
Overcoming mistrust in public-sector digitalization - Laura Larocchia and Alessandro Meneghella, ORF Online
A brief from the Observer Research Foundation aims to address public mistrust in digitalization by proposing a framework of recommendations for governments to enhance communication and increase citizen engagement with digital services.
 | A guest post by
|
 | A guest post by
|