Fostering opportunities and managing risks from new technologies for public services, the organisation of work and more equal and inclusive societies

Key points

The opinion starts by clarifying that ‘public services’ is taken to mean the activities or services that public authorities of the Member States at national, regional or local level classify as being of general interest.

The opinion then notes that:

• adopting digitalisation and AI (artificial intelligence) could revolutionise the way public services are provided, offering innovative solutions for dealing more efficiently and more quickly with people’s needs;
• AI can help make these services more accessible, in particular to the most vulnerable people in society;
• the possibility to automate complex and repetitive processes could increase efficiency while reducing workload for individual workers;
• however, care must be taken with the use of predictive and generative artificial intelligence algorithms – for example, to prevent bias – so that the systems used are fair and transparent, and safeguard the rights of all actors involved;
• the EESC recommends transparency in decision-making processes when developing algorithms and in the implementation of these technologies, also to guarantee the human-in-command principle. It should be borne in mind that these services are provided by human beings, at their own pace, in their own time and with their own requirements;
• public services must invest in cybersecurity tools, to prevent attacks and other data crimes;
• public service employers must make their workers aware of the adoption of AI monitoring systems. Information is crucial to creating trust;
• the integration of AI into public services should also be accompanied by a comprehensive training and upskilling plan;
• social dialogue and collective bargaining play a crucial role in fostering the transition to artificial intelligence. Also, a dialogue with relevant civil society stakeholders is needed to ensure that the introduction of AI in public services is inclusive and sustainable.

Summary

This exploratory opinion has been requested by the European Commission, to contribute to the EU institutions' work on guardrails, governance and guiding innovation for Artificial Intelligence (AI). It looks into the opportunities, implications and challenges of a human-centric approach to AI and the use of new technologies to increase social empowerment and the potential for economic growth. The opinion considers that AI can improve the delivery of public services, making them more efficient and accessible to vulnerable people. It can also reduce public services workers' workload. The opinion recommends to implement algorithms with care, to prevent bias, to ensure fairness, and safeguard everybody's rights. Workers need to be informed and trained. The opinion considers that dialogue with social partners and relevant civil society organisations is crucial to foster the transition to artificial intelligence.