Technological innovation Articles
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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…
China unveils AI ethics code
Artificial intelligence (AI) in China will remain “under meaningful human control” according to the country’s first set of rules which will govern every aspect of the emerging technology from its research to supply and implementation. The New Generation of Artificial Intelligence Ethics Code is the next step in China’s mission to be the global AI…
Overcoming AI bias to empower an equitable society
Reasoning frameworks of artificial intelligence used in criminal justice and health care systems move us to rethink how AI can be constructed to help foster an equitable society. We interact daily with algorithms that over time predict and inform our actions. Spam filters in e-mail and real-time mapping technologies on our cell phones are two examples of technologies that…
Finding the growth elixir: how to build high-tech business clusters
Thriving in the pandemic, digital and science firms promise renewed growth to governments that can foster world-class tech hubs. But how can civil servants help researchers and start-ups to build successful businesses? Liz Heron learns how leading countries approach the challenge and profiles the most potent policies With growth opportunities in many traditional industries curtailed…
Making artificial intelligence fit for a life inside government
Move fast and break things; reward risk-taking; scale fast. These three credos have allowed technology companies to upend our everyday lives in the past two decades, while producing fortunes for their owners. Civil servants are equally passionate about transforming society, but – given their responsibility to spend taxpayers’ money carefully and serve everyone in society…
Algorithm and blues: avoiding the traps in new tech
Algorithms can be immensely valuable in public services; but as the UK’s ill-judged A-levels algorithm demonstrated, badly designed systems can damage citizens and governments alike. At a recent GGF webinar, experts from around the world explored how to build public confidence and protect the public interest as civil servants adopt the technology. Adam Green reports…
Nordics lead EU’s innovation league table
An annual exercise to assess which countries in the EU and beyond have created the best environments for innovation across their private and public sectors has hailed Sweden as the EU’s innovation leader. Fellow Nordics Finland and Denmark also ranked high in the index, along with Belgium, suggesting that the right conditions for innovation –…
Tech strategies not being matched by investments, UN report finds
While governments around the world are recognising the importance of technology in building a green, sustainable future, too many are spending only small sums on research, a UN report has found. The UNESCO report, The Race Against Time for Smarter Development, warns that “many countries remain dependent on foreign technologies and expertise” when taking advantage of…
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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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