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Harnessing AI and machine learning to transform public sector services
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) are transforming the public sector, significantly improving government operations, decision-making processes, and the delivery of public services. Globally, governments are embracing these technologies, and in the UK, AI has proven particularly beneficial across various departments, including the Department for Transport (DfT) and local councils. While AI’s transformative power…
Innovation 2024 as it happened – day 1
Co-hosted by the UK Government, UK Civil Service and the Cabinet Office, Innovation is a unique exhibition and conference that brings together government leaders from across the globe to share how to transform public sector organisations and services. Find out what happened on day 1 of the 2024 conference, on 19 March 2024
Seven public servants’ ideas picked up by Canadian Data Challenge
Launched earlier this year, the Public Service Data Challenge aims to identify and develop public servants’ ideas on how to make better use of data in government – here, we present the longlisted ideas that will go through to the semi-final Seven ideas put forward by Canadian public servants are to be researched and developed…
AI intelligence: equipping public and civil service leaders with the skills to embrace emerging technologies
Artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data technologies may still be in their infancy but there is no doubt they will loom large in the years and decades to come. Karen Day looks into the importance of building civil service capability to ensure the opportunities are taken advantage of and the pitfalls avoided – and at…
Taking on the tedious: automation in government
Robotic Process Automation is too often seen as a threat to jobs – but in truth it makes people’s working lives more interesting and fulfilling, the audience heard at a recent webinar. To realise those benefits, however, civil servants must understand how best to deploy this emerging technology As the UK prepared to leave the…
Brazil launches national AI strategy
Brazil has launched a new artificial intelligence (AI) strategy, which aims to balance ethical use of the technology while boosting research and innovation in the sector. Following a public consultation, which ran from December 2019 to March 2020, the strategy sets out six objectives. These include to: develop ethical principles that guide responsible use of…
Emotion recognition tech fundamentally flawed, says human rights charity
Emerging AI-based emotion recognition technologies are “untenable” under international human rights law, and developing, designing or sharing such tech should be banned, a recent report has argued. The study, which focused on the growing use of emotion recognition technologies by state and corporate bodies in China, was published in January this year by Article 19,…
US defense must have foundations for AI integration by 2025, new report says
The US Department of Defense (DoD) must set “an ambitious goal” to have the foundations for widespread integration of artificial intelligence (AI) across defence in place by 2025, according to a draft of the final report from the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence (NSCAI). This should include “a common digital infrastructure that is accessible…
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Discover independent research reports, surveys and in-depth studies from Global Government Forum and knowledge partners, exploring the most important issues facing governments and the public sector. Our research provides practical insights and evidence-based recommendations for senior civil servants, policymakers and public sector leaders. Our reports combine exclusive survey data, expert analysis and interviews with government leaders from around the world to help public sector organisations improve performance, inform policy and deliver better outcomes for citizens.
Empowering Public Servants to Make Confident, Informed Decisions with Data and AI
Governments around the world are working hard to extract – and act upon – the insights held in their vast data stores, and to embrace AI and the promise it holds for innovation and transformation. At the same time, economic pressures and constrained budgets are compelling public servants to do more with fewer resources, while governments are called to respond quickly and effectively to complex challenges.
Against this backdrop, data and AI can help those working in government both to streamline their workflows and make fast, informed decisions. This in turn drives efficiency and can unlock productivity gains – and ultimately lead to improved performance and better services for citizens.
Global Government Forum surveyed over 600 civil servants worldwide to understand how data and AI are being used in government decision-making and where there are further challenges and opportunities.
Read this report for insight into how governments are using data and AI in decision-making today and the potential for the future; the major challenges to using data and AI in decision-making and how to overcome them; and how AI agents can be used in decision-making.
The report includes examples of data and AI in decision-making from countries including the UK, Ireland, Australia, Canada, Singapore, the US, and more.
(Published September 2025)
Making Government Work: Five Pillars of a Modern, Effective Civil Service
Around the world, governments are dealing with substantial challenges – from economic stagnation to the transition to net zero, military conflicts and cyber threats. Governments are also grappling with shifting geopolitics and the rise of populism – and all of these factors are set against the emergence of new technologies, including generative AI, which have the potential to fundamentally transform every aspect of society, but which also pose huge ethical, security and regulatory questions for the public sector.
The Making Government Work: Five pillars of a modern, effective civil service report was undertaken to help identify the key characteristics needed in a modern public service, with priorities ranging across leadership, digital service delivery, workforce development, cross-departmental integration, and citizen trust.
This report has been covered by publications around the world including the Financial Times, BBC Radio 4’s PM programme, Ottawa Citizen, Fed Manager, the Mandarin and the i newspaper.
(Published August 2024)
The Future of the Finance Ministry
From setting tax rates and financial regulations that create the ground rules for national economies, to allocating – and tracking – spending for public services, finance ministries occupy an essential role at the centre of government. Geopolitical crises have reinforced the importance of finance ministries, as they tackle both immediate shocks and long-term trends such as ageing populations, the digital transition, and the impact of moves to net zero.
Against this backdrop, this global research explores what the future finance ministry looks like and how to prepare for it.
Based on interviews with 10 senior leaders from finance ministries – led by John McCarthy, chief economist in Ireland’s Department of Finance, working with Ian Hall, editor, Global Government Finance, and Richard Johnstone, executive editor, Global Government Forum – the study identifies four key themes: the evolving role of the finance ministry in response to uncertainty; the shift to more flexible finance systems that support outcomes; digital transformation and the growth of AI; and the battle for talent and trust.
(Published May 2026)
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