Artificial Intelligence is a crucial solution to enhance Gauteng government service delivery
Democratic Alliance speech by
Ina Cilliers MPL
DA Gauteng Spokesperson for e-Government
Artificial Intelligence is a crucial solution to enhance GPG service delivery
Release: Immediate
6 December 2023
Madam Speaker,
e-Government operates in a highly disrupted and uniquely accelerant environment. Policymakers globally are grappling to adapt at scale and to understand the evolution of a web-native citizenry and the impacts of the “new normal” on law-making, oversight and public participation. New frontiers are being disclosed at such great speed that it is hard to keep up.
For example, when my colleagues were speaking earlier during the debate, I employed the use of artificial intelligence to listen in. While you were all speaking, my AI assistant was doing the following:
Analysing your speech in real-time to assess the overall sentiment of your words and identify key topics and themes in the speech.
Cross-referencing the information, you are giving the House with other sources of information, such as news articles, social media posts, and government reports.
Prepare talking points for my rebuttal by identifying key arguments, supporting evidence, and potential counterarguments.
Monitoring social media for reactions to your speech and identifying key trends and sentiments in the online conversation.
This is incredible. Not only does it allow me to be prepared, informed, and able to rebut with facts in real-time, but it also facilitates a world where I can learn exactly and only what I need to know at the precise time I need to know it. Imagine what this can do for service delivery, where a government is able to respond and engage with residents with the most up-to-date information that speaks to their needs.
Other features of the e-Government environment include the following:
Cyberattacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and costly, causing billions of dollars in damages each year. These attacks can disrupt critical infrastructure, steal sensitive data, and damage reputations. The increasing frequency and severity of cyberattacks highlight the growing vulnerability of our digital world.
The gap between those who have access to and can use technology and those who do not is widening. This digital divide is creating new forms of inequality and exclusion, limiting opportunities for education, employment, and civic participation.
Our data is being collected and analysed on an unprecedented scale. This data can be used to target us with advertising, track our movements, and even predict our behaviour. The potential for misuse of this data raises serious concerns about privacy and surveillance.
The rapid pace of technological change is outpacing the ability of governments to regulate and manage the digital world. This is leading to a lack of oversight and accountability, which can have serious consequences for individual agencies and society as a whole.
We cannot put this genie back in the bottle, but we can govern for individual freedom. One such solution is GovStack.
GovStack is a global open-source initiative that aims to create a common set of building blocks for governments to build digital services. The goal of GovStack is to make it easier and faster for governments to develop and deliver digital services to their citizens and businesses. By using technology like GovStack, eGovernment and institutions like SITA can create a single, unified portal for residents to access a wide range of government services, from licensing, paying taxes, storing health records, getting academic records, to applying for a job, irrespective of Operating System (OS), in real-time. If they used Artificial Intelligence to automate these processes, it could all happen in a second.
Madam Speaker,
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, and I quote, “E-governance is easy governance, effective governance and also economic governance. E-governance paves the way for good governance” close quote. The Gauteng Government must not rest on its laurels but seize the opportunities that come with emerging technologies like AI. By grabbing this opportunity, we will not be on the back foot, as we can ensure real empowerment, equity and efficiency in this province.
Media Enquiries:
Ina Cilliers MPL
DA Gauteng Spokesperson for e-Government
Dorianne Arendse
GPL Media and Issues Specialist
076 983 0118