AI and quantum software-as-a-service company SandboxAQ and non-governmental think tank the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) have issued the first part of a guide aimed at informing government leaders about the potential of AI.
The guide, Governing in the Age of AI: The Leader’s Guide to Artificial-Intelligence Technical Strategy, sets out to advise how governments can best use AI, including identifying opportunities and assessing risks when deploying AI in support of public services.
“AI provides the opportunity to reimagine nearly every aspect of government. To fully harness its potential, leaders must make deliberate and well-informed technical decisions,” said TBI executive chair and former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair.
According to the authors, the guide aims to help leaders understand the technologies, prerequisites and other supporting factors needed to help them achieve their AI objectives.
“We have heard from many government leaders a request for a clear playbook with specific decision trees on how to implement AI across key public sector areas including education, healthcare and defense,” said SandboxAQ CEO Jack D. Hidary.
“The guide we co-authored with TBI provides a framework to help leaders align their strategic AI vision with the technical requirements needed to support their AI transformations. The combination of SandboxAQ’s technical depth with TBI’s expertise in public sector areas drives the practical value of this guide for world leaders.”
The organizations plan to release further parts of the guide this year, including technical decisions leaders must make on how to collect, store and utilize data that AI systems require and who should build, operate and maintain the data and infrastructure.
With the U.K. General Election happening on July 4, the guide includes recommendations it suggests the next government should address in its first 100 days:
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Put the chief secretary to the treasury in charge of digital transformation, data and AI across government.
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Ask the National Audit Office to review its value-for-money evaluation approach in a way that would increase a department’s tolerance for risk of failure.
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Launch an urgent review of civil-service career frameworks for the age of AI.
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Nominate a small number of “AI exemplar” departments such as the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
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·Enforce and fund a “Bezos mandate” requiring all government departments to provide clearly documented, secure ways to access data and functionality.