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Projects shortlisted for Canada Public Service Data/AI Challenge
Four projects focusing on how to better use data or artificial intelligence in government have been shortlisted for the next stage of the Public Service Data/AI Challenge in Canada. The shortlisted projects have been developed from ideas submitted by federal public servants in Canada on how government can improve its use of data and artificial intelligence,…
Rolling out Canada’s public service AI strategy: The year ahead with chief data officer Stephen Burt
In this ‘Five Minutes With’ series, we interview senior civil servants about their achievements in 2024 and goals for the year ahead. This interview features Stephen Burt, chief data officer for the Government of Canada. What was your organisation’s top achievement in 2024? The proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) has been inescapable in 2024. While the…
Final call as deadline approaches to enter the Canadian Public Service Data and AI Challenge
Update: The deadline for appplications to the 2024-25 Canadian Public Service Data/AI Challenge hass been extended to 24 January. Visit the website to make your submissions now. Canada’s public servants are urged to submit their entries for the 2024-25 Canadian Public Service Data/AI Challenge this week or apply to join a team, as applications close…
Canadian public servants invited to submit ideas for data and AI innovation
The Canadian Public Service Data/AI Challenge has already carried one idea through into a brand new public service, and its second set of winners are now entering the delivery phase. As the Challenge opens for a third round of entries, top data leaders are urging public servants to put forward their ideas for how government…
Energy efficiency tool wins Canada’s second Public Service Data Challenge
A plan to assess the best ways to cut domestic energy bills and greenhouse gas emissions has triumphed in Canada’s second Public Service Data Challenge, winning the backing of top officials and putting it on the road to implementation. “Congratulations to the winning team,” said Canadian government chief data officer Stephen Burt after the announcement…
AccelerateGOV conference brings together digital government experts in Canada
The AccelerateGOV conference returns to Ottawa today, with experts on digital transformation coming together at the Shaw Centre to discuss how to make change in government happen. The conference, which is hosted by Global Government Forum with the Government of Canada, will explore how public servants can best promote digitalisation and transformation. The agenda covers…
AccelerateGOV 2024 to drive digital government transformation in Canada
Global Government Forum’s AccelerateGOV conference will return to Ottawa on 21 October to share the latest developments in digital transformation from both the federal government and across the globe. The third edition of the conference – which is this year supported by platinum knowledge partners AffinitiQuest and IBM – will examine topics including how to deploy…
Digital transformation baton passes to Canada after GovernmentDX event in Washington DC
Welcome to Global Government Forum’s monthly Digital and Data Monitor. This month’s newsletter includes some reflections on the GovernmentDX conference held in Washington DC last week – as well as looking ahead to our upcoming events in Canada and beyond. And we want to hear from you about the innovations you are undertaking. Please get in…
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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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