Policy making and artificial intelligence in Scotland

ABSTRACT

The article presents an exploratory qualitative single case study about whether and how artificial intelligence (AI) is used by the Scottish Government, about the key concerns relating to its usage, and about obstacles to, and drivers of AI usage. Besides the academic literature and published reports, the analysis rests on 12 semi-structured interviews. Interviewees include Scottish Government employees, experts from academia and representatives of commercial and non-commercial AI and Big Data organisations. The article finds that the Scottish Government has, so far, made little use of AI. Currently, AI is used in very limited ways in process automation and for gaining ‘cognitive insights’ with the human in control. There are no ‘strategic’ AI applications where advanced reasoning and ‘decision-making by algorithm’ play a role. Data-driven e-policy making is not currently on the cards. The reasons are the Scottish Government’s wariness of AI, a lack of ‘digital maturity’ (concerning Big Data and digital infrastructure, but also expertise) in the public sector, and ethical concerns around the use of AI. Governments need to conduct a debate about the extent of AI usage to avoid ‘AI creep’ in their institutions and to assure that AI does not have negative consequences for democracy.

KEYWORDS:

• Artificial intelligence
• policy making
• Scotland
• Big Data

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank the interviewees for their time and also the journal’s reviewers for their constructive comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Hartwig Pautz

Hartwig Pautz is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the West of Scotland. He is interested in policy advisory systems and has published widely on think tanks, but also on German politics. He is a co-lead of the UWS-Oxfam Partnership.