Making government interactions less like a root canal
Does anyone actually like interacting with their government to access key services or manage obligations like taxes?
If we think of governments like companies, they would be some of the world’s biggest: literally everyone is their customer in some way.
That scale comes with an incredibly varied product suite, with some services accessed frequently, while others are super niche. The dense and cascading regulations that dictate everything also lead to high levels of complexity.
It’s not surprising that most users find it unsatisfying. This sentiment persists even for the world’s biggest governments, who have the scale to justify larger investments in improved service delivery.
This is even more acute for a small government like my birthplace of Barbados, which requires many of the exact same services as larger economies, but spread over a population of just over 275K people, maybe 750K if you count tourists and other visitors.
Even if we can’t turn all government interactions into a trip to the beach, how do we make it more like an annual checkup than a root canal? It probably won’t surprise you that I think Generative AI has a huge role to play.
Yes, that same Generative AI tech that I also categorized as a moody teenager, and previously ranted about its dangers and biases.
Those things are all still there, but it also has the potential to modernize government services and adapt to changes more quickly than traditional GovTech solutions, especially in smaller economies and/or on the hyperlocal government level.
Imagine the following…
Quick answers to complex and nuanced questions
You as a person or entity are nuanced, with your query requiring precise answers
Government policies1 can be very technical in their quest to be comprehensive
This intersection often requires reliance on government workers (and accountants and lawyers) to get accurate answers
This takes time because they too are human and may need to do research
Imagine empowering these workers with a resource they can query in natural language with your specific situation. It then produces answers referenced from those complex government policies in seconds instead of minutes or hours
To reduce risks, the worker can leverage the provided references (and other sources) to quickly confirm everything before responding to the citizen-customer
Now imagine that directly available 24/7 via WhatsApp
Given the current risks of inaccuracies (which hopefully subside over time), this is riskier than an internal-facing tool
But, sometimes it’s not just about the answer. Simply discovering who to contact across a complex hierarchy of departments can have value
In that scenario, a citizen-facing router or directory can be impactful with limited downside risk. Examples:
Where can I find more information about registering a business?
What website should I use to make a passport appointment?
As the technology improves you could then empower citizens further, enabling them to directly query their government and receive responses in natural language
The fact that this can happen via channels they use every day, like WhatsApp, with no prior training, is a game changer. More examples:
What is required to register a birth or death?
What are the requirements for a passport?
What does this line item on my tax return mean?
What loan or grant programs are available to small businesses?
Not Just For Citizens
As I alluded to earlier, governments also serve more than their citizens or local businesses; there are tourists, students, digital nomads and other foreign workers who are even less versed in interacting with a government than its citizens.
As someone who has “imported” his cat into 4 different countries in the past 18 months, I have felt this pain.
Solutions here could make early-mover destinations more attractive and raise the prominence of a market at a time where competition is fierce for tourism dollars, foreign talent and overseas investment.
Enabling Balanced Regulation
Finally, much has also been said about the need for Responsible Generative AI given its far reaching impacts on society. Sound regulation could be better informed if governments had direct experience with these tools and their nuances, via prototypes or pilots targeted at specific use cases.
Unsurprisingly, the Singapore government is already experimenting heavily with AI across education, tourism and other government functions.
Let’s Talk
Are you looking to work in this area, or already working in it? Heck, if the intersection of GovTech and Gen AI is just plain interesting to you, please reach out. I’d love to have a chat as I see multiple opportunities ahead.
Government policies are often a combination of laws and regulations, plus interpretations from the courts among other factors.