2024-02-29 18:30:00
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the public service will help reduce the size of the State, believes Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Éric Caire.
During the 2018 electoral campaign, which brought the Coalition Avenir Québec to power, François Legault made a firm commitment to reduce the public service by at least 5,000 positions, mainly through attrition, following retirements.
Six years later, the CAQ government has still failed to keep its promise.
“You are right, it has not been achieved,” acknowledged Minister Caire, taking stock Thursday of the use of AI in Quebec public administration, following the report of the Council of innovation from Quebec on this subject submitted to the government on February 5.
This technology, which makes it possible to imitate human intelligence through different computer tools, will be tested on the Quebec government’s open data site, with the addition of a conversational robot.
Conversational bot
If the pilot project is successful, this «chatbot» might also appear on other government sites.
“Yes, eventually once it is mature, a conversational agent will have the versatility to fulfill other functions,” confirmed Mr. Caire.
“Ultimately, what we hope to improve is the customer experience, the customer service,” explained Sarah Gagnon-Turcotte, director Center of Expertise in Artificial Intelligence, Analytics and Government Automation.
His team is also working to develop prototypes that will, for example, reduce the processing time for requests relating to group insurance for civil servants or even reduce the number of hours spent on lengthy invoicing processes.
Huge potential
In a single entity of the Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs, the tool tested should save the equivalent of 85 working days. The potential for reusability in different departments and organizations is therefore enormous, according to Ms. Gagnon-Turcotte.
Ultimately, if the reduction in the number of civil servant positions “may be part of the consequences” of the artificial intelligence project, “this is not the main objective”, clarified Mr. Caire.
But “it is certain that the integration of artificial intelligence will disrupt the portrait of work,” warns the member for La Peltrie.
However, he assures that there is “absolutely no question of cutting the services offered to the government to people, by people”.
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