The article From a lack of personnel: Less bureaucracy through AI? first appeared in the online magazine BASIC thinking. With our newsletter UPDATE you can start the day well informed every morning.
AI models are often demonized due to their enormous energy requirements. But if used sensibly, artificial intelligence can definitely have advantages – for example in the healthcare system and even in the fight against climate change. The city of Worms is now relying on AI to reduce bureaucracy. Municipalities from other federal states want to emulate this. A commentary analysis.
City of Worms relies on AI to combat bureaucracy
- The city Worms has been using AI assistants for around six monthswhich are intended to support employees in the building authority and urban development. The aim is to make work processes easier. If, for example, it is about planning to build a new daycare center, AI agents should answer bureaucratic, legal and organizational questions to the responsible employees in a matter of seconds.
- The AI assistants used were developed by the Worms-based IT service provider Satware. With the help of Jupiter and six other agents the city wants back Become master of the situation when dealing with new laws and regulations. According to Satware, AI can, among other things, help to bundle information in administration and reduce it to the essentials. The company and the city of Worms promise that all data will be protected and not passed on.
- The German Civil Service Association (dbb) has been demanding for quite some time More speed in digitalization and increased use of artificial intelligence in public administration. According to the association, Public service overwhelmed with many tasks due to a lack of staff. There would be a shortage of 600,000 employees across Germany.
AI is intended to compensate for the lack of personnel in public administration
AI can help in the future by automating routine tasks and optimizing work processes Compensate for staff shortages in public administration. This would allow employees to devote themselves to “more important” tasks in order to speed up other processes.
Given the increasing flood of information, such a scenario would certainly be desirable. To digitize just for the sake of digitization, But it won’t be enough and it’s not a good idea either.
Because: If you simply automate a bad process, you will only have created a bad automation in the end, which may require more work than it eliminates. Or about it with them Words from German O2 manager Thorsten Dirks to say: “If you digitize a shitty process, you have a shitty digital process“.
In Worms people want to have recognized this. Final decisions should still be made by people there. AI is a tool that requires fact checking and not a replacement.
Voices
- Justus, one of the seven AI assistantswhich are used in Worms, introduces himself as follows: “Hello, I’m Justus! As an advanced AI legal assistant, I specialize in helping you with questions about Swiss, German and EU law. My goal is to offer the best possible support in the complex field of law through precise analyses, well-founded reports and understandable explanations.”
- Timo Horst, councilor for the city of Wormsopposite the daily news: “You have to communicate with many authorities – and to process all this correspondence more quickly, the AI helps incredibly. I don’t have to ask my employees, I can access information directly, so I can prepare my meetings. I can also use Justus in discussions, for example, with daycare providers or with other representatives from civil society.”
- The scientists Alexander Wuttke, Adrian Rauchfleisch and Andreas Jungherr warn as part of a current study: “Integrating AI into government functions raises significant concerns Fairness, transparency and accountability on. Although efficiency gains initially increase trust, they also reduce citizens’ perceived sense of control. When these structural risks come to the fore, both institutional trust and perceived control decline significantly.”
Less bureaucracy through AI?
Ten employees in the city administration of Worms are currently supposed to work with AI assistants. They should continue to support you in your daily work, but in the long term it will not replace people or even endanger jobs. With dilapidated roads and Germany’s digital backlog, this seems anything but realistic or even sensible.
How much relief AI will provide is still up in the air. Because so far there is no final evaluation the city of Worms. The project is still in its early stages, but word has already gotten around. Municipalities from other federal states have already made inquiries.
In the medium term, AI could gain a stronger foothold in German municipalities, especially if a positive effect on reducing bureaucracy and efficiency is confirmed. But the topic remains important Data protection and the preservation of freedom of choice.
In the long term, AI systems could… fundamentally change public administration: From processing individual applications to strategic planning in infrastructure, health or climate protection. However, the aim should be to see AI as a supplement, to relieve employees, to give them freedom and to give them control.
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As a Tech Industry expert, I believe that leveraging AI to reduce bureaucracy due to a shortage of personnel can be a highly effective solution. By automating routine tasks and streamlining processes, AI can help organizations operate more efficiently and effectively with limited resources.
AI-powered systems can handle tasks such as data entry, scheduling, and basic customer service inquiries, freeing up human employees to focus on more complex and strategic initiatives. This not only reduces the burden on employees but also improves overall productivity and agility within the organization.
Additionally, AI can help organizations make faster and more data-driven decisions, leading to better outcomes and a competitive edge in the market. By leveraging AI to streamline operations and reduce bureaucracy, companies can navigate the challenges of a personnel shortage more effectively and continue to drive innovation and growth in the tech industry.
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