Artificial Intelligence should enhance public services and inclusive digital strategies, says rapporteur Alberto Cirio

As artificial intelligence (AI) rapidly transforms public administration across Europe, regional and local authorities are taking a central role in its adoption and governance. On 24 October, the Commission for Economic Policy (ECON) will hold its 24th meeting in Tampere, Finland. At this meeting where its members will discuss and adopt the draft opinion on Challenges and Opportunities of Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector: Defining the Role of Regional and Local Authorities, drawn up by rapporteur Alberto Cirio (IT/EPP), President of the Piedmont Region. In this interview, Mr. Cirio provides valuable insights into how AI can enhance transparency and improve public services, while addressing challenges such as the 'AI divide' and the need for inclusive digital strategies. 

1. You've outlined several strategic objectives for integrating AI within public administrations. Can you discuss the progress and challenges you've encountered in promoting a transparent approach to AI, particularly in partnerships between public and private sectors?  

I can say that we've made significant progress in promoting transparency in AI adoption, but challenges remain. We're strongly emphasising the need for clear, accessible information on AI initiatives and creating opportunities for public feedback. One major challenge we're facing is the potential 'AI divide' between public administrations that can fully exploit these technologies and those that can't. To address this, we're encouraging the creation of AI ecosystems at various levels — local, cross-border, interregional, and transnational. These ecosystems bring together local and regional authorities, academia, and the private sector to share knowledge and develop common solutions.  

We're also promoting a place-based approach, facilitating exchanges between similar territories across different regions. This approach is helping us develop coherent, scalable solutions while fostering transparency between the public and private sectors. However, ensuring consistent transparency across all partnerships remains an ongoing challenge that we're actively working to address.  

2. Artificial intelligence holds significant potential to enhance public services. Could you provide specific examples of how AI has improved efficiency and citizen engagement in the Piedmont region? 

While our opinion doesn't focus specifically on the Piedmont, my region is a true European reference point for strategic sectors, such as the automotive and aerospace sectors, and will be the seat of the Italian Centre of Artificial Intelligence. Moreover, Piedmont Region has contributed to the Strategic Position of Regional Digital Agendas in 2021-2027 Programme and has included the use of Artificial Intelligence among the pillars of its 2024-2026 public innovation digital strategy. In fact, AI is considered a tool of efficiency in the use of public services through the automation of repetitive tasks, predictive analytics and the optimisation of resources.  

We're seeing AI enhance urban mobility, optimise energy use in buildings, improve waste management, and analyse pollution data more effectively. In public administration, AI is automating repetitive tasks, optimising internal processes, and significantly improving citizen interactions. For instance, AI-based systems are providing faster, more accurate responses to citizen inquiries and facilitating access to information and services, even during peak hours.  

We're also seeing AI used in automated decision-making processes, speeding up administrative procedures, and verifying submitted documents. This is accelerating application processing times, which directly benefits citizens. While I can't provide Piedmont-specific examples, these improvements are representative of the changes we're seeing across many regions, including Piedmont, where, specifically, a large use of chatbot to help enhance the quality of interaction among public administration and citizens is in progress. We're also improving the internal efficiency of the regional administration by a machine-learning system applied to the electronic communication triage, both internal and external. Finally, we're using AI and Natural Language Understanding to perform some sentiment analysis on citizens satisfaction as regard as public services delivered by the Region.  

3. Considering the important role of education and training in preparing for AI transitions, what initiatives or programmes have been most effective in building AI competency among public sector employees regionally?  

In my role as rapporteur, I've observed several effective initiatives for building AI competency in the public sector. We're seeing great results from targeted training programmes that enrich public employees' existing knowledge of administration and citizen needs with new technical AI skills. Continuous upskilling and reskilling programs, often utilising online platforms and e-learning tools, should be particularly effective. These ensure our public employees' skills keep pace with AI's rapid evolution. We're also seeing success with university partnerships and exchange programmes with the private sector. These help attract and retain AI talent in the public sector, which is crucial given the competition with private-sector salaries.  

Furthermore, we're advocating for AI and digital literacy programmes starting from primary and secondary schools, extending to programmes for all citizens. Local and regional authorities will play a key role in disseminating these activities uniformly across territories. While the effectiveness can vary by region, these initiatives are showing promising results in building AI competency among public-sector employees across Europe.  

4. In your opinion, how can young representatives contribute to shaping AI policies that align with the needs and expectations of younger populations, especially in ensuring that these technologies foster inclusivity and accessibility?  

I believe young representatives have a crucial role in shaping inclusive and accessible AI policies. They can advocate for a bottom-up approach in identifying AI needs and solutions, ensuring the specific needs of their territories inform AI development. Young representatives can be instrumental in promoting local and regional AI ecosystems that involve universities, research centres, schools, and start-ups. Their involvement can accelerate innovation in ways that resonate with younger populations. They can also push for the integration of digital skills development and AI literacy programs into educational curricula, preparing the next generation for an AI-driven world. Importantly, young representatives can ensure AI systems address the cultural and existential needs of all citizens, promoting inclusivity and preventing new forms of digital divide. Their participation in public-engagement initiatives related to AI is vital. It ensures younger voices are heard in decision-making processes.  

Lastly, they can advocate for AI applications in areas particularly relevant to youth, such as education, job-market integration, and sustainable urban development. By actively engaging in these areas, young representatives can significantly contribute to making AI technologies more inclusive and accessible for all generations.  

This interview was done in framework of the CoR Young Elected Politician Programme.