Public Administration and Government (PAG)
Coordinator: José Manuel Ferreira Machado
The constant development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) methodologies makes the automation of processes more and more attractive for the Public Administration and Government (PAG). Due to the advances in AI and Information Technology (IT), several PAG processes which, a few years ago, had to be completely carried out by humans can be automated today. The overall PAG domain involves a diversity of application areas in which Intelligent Systems may play a key role in a near future, namely in: Government, Urban Planning, Transports, Traffic Management, Energy, Water and Waste Management, Citizenship, Hospital Management & Public Health, Culture & Heritage Management, Tourism, Education & Research Management, among many others.
To enable the use of Intelligent Systems in these application areas, different AI/IT methods and technologies are needed, such as: Data Science; Analytics; Decision Support Systems; Machine Learning; Optimization; Natural Language Processing; Social Media Analytics; Modeling & Simulation; AI Planning; Agents and Multi-Agent Systems; Social Intelligence; Internet of Things (IoT), Machine Perception, Robotics & Automation; Big Data and Cloud/Edge Computing; User Modelling; Cybersecurity; and Sustainable Computing.
SO1: E-services, E-Governance, Digital Transformation, and Citizen Engagement
The service sector is one of the strongest in Portugal. While making its transition to the digital world, a number of challenges and opportunities arise. On one hand, the development of web portals, through which users access online services, poses issues related to usability and interaction. On the other hand, this more expeditious means of accessing services brings an increase in the volume of service requests, which in turn poses challenges associated with the ability to process them.Portugal has made a significant effort in the transition to the digital world, mainly conducted by the Administrative Modernization Agency (AMA), which focuses on public service delivery, digital transformation, and administrative simplification.
SO2: Efficient and Fair Public Administration
The efficiency and fairness of public services is a determinant of citizens’ quality of life. As such, it isi mperative that the services provided by the Public Administration are properly managed and administered.
SO3: Regulation, Data Protection, Fair Access and Ethical aspects of AI in Public Administration and Governance
The use of AI in Public Administration and Governance needs to address the ethical and data protection challenges that come with the use of AI technologies. These include unintentional bias, the need for trustworthy and explainable decisions or recommendations, avoiding misuse of personal data and protecting personal privacy, as well as preventing vulnerabilities that could be exploited to use the AI system in unintended ways.
