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- AI is beginning to have an impact on online public services in which factors such as lack of training or internal inefficiencies cause results to lag behind the effort
Published by ABC
44% of citizens in Spain value their experience with digital public services positively, according to the latest study by Accenture which shows that, although digitalisation has advanced, frictions persist that limit both the adoption of digital services and trust in technology. “According to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), integrated into the Digital Decade 2030 Progress Report, Spain stands out above the European average in the digitalisation of public services and investment has increased, although there is still room for improvement in citizen experience,” says Chus Paniagua, managing director of Public Sector at Accenture.
He believes that both the national and regional administrations are reversing the situation by betting on innovation. “The heterogeneity and complexity of organization and processes is cited by 37% of public employees as one of the main barriers to service quality, which indirectly also points to the need for better interoperability between levels,” he advances.
The report also shows that 52% of citizens still prefer face-to-face service over digital channels, and 85% consider it important to have access to a person to solve complex procedures, even if they could be automated. “That does not mean technological rejection, citizens do use digital channels, but they find points of friction,” reflects the head of Public Sector at Accenture. Hence, he advises administrations to “rethink how services are designed so that they are more understandable, close and efficient”.
This study identifies three major challenges to be faced in this field. Firstly, the existing points of friction in digital processes and channels, detecting as the main obstacles “the complexity and length of the procedures”. Secondly, the inefficiencies in the internal systems that can make the work of citizen service professionals difficult. And finally, it is necessary to “train and accompany public employees” and points out that a culture of co-creation with AI “will bring greater efficiency to the administration and more autonomy and satisfaction of the public employee”.
Steps forward
Esteve Almirall, professor in the Department of Data, Analytics, Technology and Artificial Intelligence at Esade, points out the significant effort made by Spain in the digitalisation of public services. “There has been intense political activity, both in the design of strategies and in the creation of administrative structures in charge of promoting digital transformation and the incorporation of artificial intelligence in the Administration,” he says. But he believes that the results are not yet fully up to the efforts made. At the state level, it highlights several initiatives such as the AI 2024 strategy, which “is not only proposed as an industrial policy, but also as a public policy aimed at improving services, increasing administrative productivity and strengthening the country’s own technological capabilities”. On the other hand, ALIA, a public AI infrastructure in Spanish and co-official languages, “probably the most symbolic project that introduces a dimension of technological and linguistic sovereignty”, he highlights. Spain is one of the countries where citizen adoption of generative AI tools is highest.
According to the Stanford AI Index, around 40% of citizens in Spain use generative AI tools. “This indicates that the Spanish problem is not so much in the adoption by citizens, but in the business and institutional adoption,” says Almirall. For this teacher, the great challenge is “to move from the individual or experimental use of these tools to their effective integration into processes, services and organisational models”. Spain has a good base for citizen adoption and an increasingly developed political framework, “but it needs to turn all this into economic, organisational and social impact”, he points out.
The digitalisation of local administration is a path that began with the Electronic Administration Law of 2007 and was promoted under Laws 39 and 40 of 2015 “turning electronic management into the usual way of operating”, says Luis Martínez-Sicluna, secretary general of the FEMP (Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces).
Currently, “the generality of the digital services of local entities are an aid that is streamlining the relationship of citizens with them, most administrative procedures can already be used remotely and, with the incorporation of AI systems, the direct relationship with citizens is being enhanced in an agile and more efficient way”, he adds. This federation of municipalities is aware that public services promote sustainability and strengthen the competitiveness of territories thanks to digitalisation. “Adequate telecommunications favour teleworking and can contribute to the creation of small businesses in the territory, which helps to fix the population and even attract new neighbours,” says the secretary general. In addition, the possibility of interacting telematically with city councils favours the digital culture of the population and “helps to promote this type of business that takes advantage of digital skills to create new business niches in less inhabited territories”, he clarifies.
52% of citizens still prefer face-to-face care
The FEMP points out as a great challenge the “appropriate use of the new and different AI tools that have burst into our lives at a dizzying rate”. He believes that before we start using them we should know them to know all the advantages they are already offering us, “such as the simplification and elimination of administrative procedures, the improvement of transparency in public procurement procedures or the streamlining and dynamization of citizen services, reducing user waiting times thanks to virtual assistants and chatbots”.
And thanks to the aforementioned sustained effort to modernize infrastructures, “today we can say that there is a solid digital base in continuous development,” says Ainhoa Marcos, VP Education & Public Sector at Odilo, a Spanish edtech firm that works hand in hand with the administration in the development of educational platforms. He assures that there has been a clear commitment to transformation from the public sphere, “which has made it possible to incorporate technological solutions in key areas of administrative management” In addition, he considers it important to highlight the growing role of internal training of public employees, “an area in which investment is being made to accompany the cultural change that digitalisation demands”.
Open gaps
There has been a rapid adoption of digital channels to carry out daily procedures, especially after the pandemic. But gaps in use and access persist, especially among certain groups. “For this reason, it is still key to strengthen accessibility, use and support for citizens, and to include digital training initiatives that guarantee real and effective inclusion,” advises Ainhoa Marcos. Hence the need to “consolidate a truly inclusive digitalization, which leaves no one behind.” And also key is to move towards more effective interoperability between systems and a more homogeneous user experience in the different administrations. Without forgetting the key role of “cybersecurity and trust in the digital environment”, he concludes.