Responsible AI in public services: notes from Tirana

Grateful to have joined a sharp and wide-ranging conversation on “Ensuring Ethical and Responsible AI Adoption” last week in Tirana, as part of the Empowering AI in Digital Public Services conference. Thanks to our moderator Michaela Jamelska and to fellow panelists Ben Zevenbergen, Colin van Noordt, Marko Grobelnik for the thoughtful dialogue. We covered the risks of government AI adoption in a hyper-dynamic space - and for me, even more importantly, also how governments can best drive use of AI for citizens, public servants, and in public services to meet their key responsibilities, obligations and promises, all in a responsible manner. Some key points I shared: 💡 Responsible AI is just as much about what we enable government to do for citizens - as what we avoid doing because it’s too risky. 💡 Everyone acknowledges risks and ethical trade-offs involved in government AI adoption - but inaction also comes at great cost, especially when it delays access to key services for the people who most need them. 💡 Political leaders and senior civil servants must both use GenAI themselves and empower, encourage, and expect civil servants to use it. You can’t build 21st century government with 20th century tools. Waiting is not an option at this stage. 💡 Many governments and civil servants tend to be too risk-averse with AI. Our civil servants need hands-on training - not just to mitigate risks, but to unlock opportunities using AI. Governments also can’t regulate what they don’t understand! It was also great to hear from Prime Minister Edi Rama and Director General Mirlinda Karcanaj of AKSHI, Albania’s digitisation agency, about Albania’s digital & AI momentum: 💻  Over 95% of services digitised (1200+ services), saving an estimated €650 million over the last few years. 🧠 An AI-supported push to reduce corruption, accelerate EU accession, and rethink government workflows - from EU accession to procurement to policing. 🗣️ Launch of the new Diella 2.0 virtual assistant, now supporting voice interactions in Albanian, including 50+ of the most commonly used services. Plenty to learn from, and lots more to come. Thanks to AKSHI and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change Albania team for the warm welcome and collaboration. (📸 Sharing a few photos from the day below.) (hosted by Albania's National Agency of Information Society/Agjencia Kombëtare e Shoqërisë së Informacionit and The World Bank). #AI #PublicSector #DigitalTransformation #ResponsibleAI #Albania #Tirana #TonyBlairInstitute