The main priority for governments, including those of Estonia and Azerbaijan, amid the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) should be to build trustworthy public-sector systems rather than simply adopt new technologies, Hannes Astok, Executive Director and Chairman of the Board of the e-Governance Academy of Estonia, said at the 8th Summit of IT Leaders of Government Agencies in Baku.
According to him, AI has become one of the defining issues in global public policy over the past three years, with governments around the world actively seeking ways to regulate and adapt the technology to remain competitive.
“But I would like to start with a different question: not what AI can do, but what kind of government is needed to use AI responsibly and effectively? This is a question for the Estonian government, the Azerbaijani government and every government in the world,” Astok noted.
The expert stressed that much of the global debate on AI traditionally focuses on models, algorithms and computing power. However, in the public sector, these are only part of the bigger picture.
Unlike private businesses, governments exercise public authority: they collect taxes, issue licenses, administer benefits, protect rights and maintain critical infrastructure.
“At the same time, citizens cannot simply opt out of government services as easily as they can switch supermarkets or airlines. That is why the key challenge for governments is to build reliable and trustworthy public-sector systems in the digital age,” the executive director added.