Hey, Government:
From digital services to genuinely intelligent government
Artificial intelligence has already changed how people create, communicate, and make decisions. Yet in many governments, technology remains confined to isolated pilots, new interfaces, and digitised versions of old procedures.
The Hey, Government! workshop asked a more fundamental question:
What must be true for governments to move from digital administration to genuinely intelligent, proactive, and responsible government?
Participants examined what this transition would mean across very different public services—from providing information and issuing documents to making consequential decisions in areas such as taxation, healthcare, and social protection.
The discussion quickly moved beyond technology. Becoming “agentic” is not simply a matter of adding AI to an existing administration. It requires governments to address fragmented institutions, incompatible systems, unclear accountability, workforce transformation and the difficult relationship between autonomy, consent and public trust.
Questions explored
The workshop brought together public officials, technologists, international organisations, and government advisers to examine both the promise of this transformation and the institutional realities that could prevent it.
The challenge is not merely to introduce AI into government. It is to build governments capable of using it responsibly.
How can public services become proactive without reducing citizens’ agency?
What should AI be permitted to recommend, prepare or execute?
What safeguards are required for higher-risk government decisions?
How can administrations move beyond pilots and departmental silos?
What should AI be permitted to recommend, prepare or execute?
What should AI be permitted to recommend, prepare or execute?
How should governments measure real improvements—not simply minutes saved?
Could the ultimate destination be an almost “invisible” state that anticipates needs while leaving citizens in control?
Building the future of the agentic state
What Comes Next
The discussion will inform the forthcoming GTF Technology and Procurement Summit Paper, with additional interviews, case studies, and research. The paper will develop a practical account of government readiness and explore how emerging technologies can improve public capacity, service delivery and the relationship between institutions and citizens.
