LARS GUMEDE: What we can learn from global public sector AI successes

As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms life, industries and governments worldwide, SA can learn from successes in both developed and developing countries that have used AI strategically to drive economic growth, improve public sector efficiency and solve complex societal and developmental challenges. 

Brazil was an early adopter of AI for use in combating public sector corruption — a priority considering the country spends about the equivalent of 10% of its GDP on public procurement. Each day the Brazilian public sector puts out more than 500 calls for tender across a myriad of departments. 

Manual analysis of all government contracts was obviously infeasible. So, Brazil’s comptroller-general of the union (CGU), the federal office overseeing government assets, developed an AI system known as Alice (an analyser of biddings, contracts and notices) to prevent fraud in public procurement.

By analysing contract data Alice can identify suspicious transactions, alerting public prosecutors and officials to cases of potential corruption, overpricing and conflicts of interest. In 2023 the system processed nearly 200,000 procurement cases and prompted the cancellation of contracts worth 2.08-billion Brazilian real (about R6.5bn) due to suspected fraud identified by AI.

Willie Mathebula, the SA National Treasury former acting chief procurement officer, testified at the Zondo state capture commission in 2017 that more than 50% of the then R800bn annual procurement budget was lost due to intentional abuse of the system.

Brazil’s Alice demonstrates how AI can be used to prevent corruption and safeguard public funds, making the job of prosecutors easier and potentially giving billions of rand back to cash-strapped government departments.

France has revolutionised its entire public administration through AI. Each day thousands of queries are made by the public to various government departments. In each of those departments staff must search for the answer to any specific question or regurgitate a frequent answer to a frequent question. 

In 2023 an AI system named Albert was launched to aid public service agents by automating responses to frequently asked questions and expediting various administrative procedures. The widely implemented system assists with tasks ranging from answering tax inquiries and managing court hearings to monitoring environmental compliance.

Albert handles millions of queries annually, easing the workload on public employees and speeding up response times for citizens. France’s use of AI in these areas not only enhances efficiency but improves public access to government services. This comprehensive adoption of AI across administrative tasks in the French public sector shows the scalability of AI in public sectors, a model SA could replicate to improve service quality and accessibility. 

Sweden has also demonstrated the extraordinary use cases of AI in boosting the efficiency of government departments and agencies. Its companies registration office has developed an AI system that automatically sorts 60% of its incoming emails. The system reads the emails’ content, then forwards it to the relevant department or team. Previously it was the job of multiple dedicated employees to sort about 500 lengthy emails each day.

This system was birthed by the office’s dedicated AI hub, which works on solutions to the office’s specific problems. The team is now working to give this system the ability to automatically resolve all queries without the help of any human staff members.

This Swedish example shows that AI has the ability to effortlessly resolve the enormous backlogs facing all SA government departments, agencies and state-owned entities and greatly increase the efficiency of their operations. 

Many countries have launched effective mass AI literacy, skills and education programmes for both public sector employees and ordinary citizens. France, for example, is developing an AI system called Aristotle that upskills the AI literacy skills of ordinary citizens to prepare them for an AI future and will serve as a private tutor — a “digital Aristotle”. 

Singapore has also invested in AI education for its citizenry. Under its national AI strategy the government aims to train 100,000 adults and students in AI literacy. The plan is to ensure citizens gain essential AI skills, preparing the workforce for jobs in AI-driven industries.

“AI Singapore” is a joint programme by various government agencies, universities and private sector partners that provides learning materials, research grants, prized competitions and an engaged tech community in one online portal that allows all to participate in the AI revolution.

As a percentage of GDP, Singapore spends 18 times more on AI research & development than the US. It is no surprise then that Singapore is punching far above its weight in the global AI arena, with the largest number of tech start-ups per capita in the world. By prioritising accessible AI education Singapore is building the foundations of a hi-tech and AI-literate society.

For SA, which faces a huge skills gap, a similar approach to AI education would increase workforce adaptability and equip the people with the skills and knowledge needed for tomorrow’s world. 

Mauritius has taken a similar approach — private-public sector collaboration to expand AI literacy and skills across the population. Through its digital youth engagement programme, in collaboration with Microsoft, Mauritius has trained 25,000 young people in digital and AI-related skills.

The country also supports AI start-ups by offering a regulatory sandbox licence — a controlled environment where start-ups can test new AI solutions. This combination of skills development and start-up support has transformed Mauritius’s tech ecosystem. Today, Mauritius ranks as the second to top start-up ecosystem in Africa, according to the global start-up ecosystem index report 2024 by StartupBlink. 

In its Digital Mauritius 2030 strategic plan the country sets forth concrete goals and specific plans that will see its competitiveness and global ranking continue to increase. SA could adopt a similar strategy, building public-private partnerships to foster AI innovation and encourage youth participation in technology. 

These success stories illustrate how different countries have used AI to address specific national priorities, from fighting corruption to modernising public services and building nationwide digital skills. SA can draw from these examples to design a tailored AI strategy that meets its own unique challenges — without the need to reinvent the wheel. 

Key steps must include establishing a zero-rated national AI learning platform, supporting citizen-led solutions development, creating public-private partnerships to access relevant expertise, and using AI to increase transparency in public administration. 

With a thoughtful approach inspired by global successes, SA has the potential to fully unlock AI’s benefits, enhancing efficiency and economic growth while creating an educated and adaptable workforce ready for the future. 

• Gumede is a tech entrepreneur and author of ‘AI works for you: Success Secrets & the Future of Humanity from the World’s Most Advanced AI’. This is an edited version of the Inclusive Society Institute’s recently published paper, ‘How SA Can Leverage the AI Revolution’.