When governments turn to AI: Algorithms, trade-offs, and trust

As artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning gain momentum, an increasing number of government agencies are considering or starting to use them to improve decision making. Additionally, COVID-19 has suddenly put an emphasis on speed. In these uncharted waters, where the tides continue to shift, it's not surprising that analytics, widely recognized for its problem-solving and predictive prowess, has become an essential navigational tool. Some examples of compelling applications include those that identify tax-evasion patterns, sort through infrastructure data to target bridge inspections, or sift through health and social-service data to prioritize cases for child welfare and support, or predicting the spread of infectious diseases. They enable governments to perform more efficiently, both improving outcomes and keeping costs down.