Government experts are working on an outline plan which could see new technologies including artificial intelligence (AI) and “next generation” mobile phone apps used to deal with challenges affecting parts of the public service.
The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Artificial Intelligence was told on Tuesday that the concept being envisaged could ultimately lead to the creation of exportable intellectual property.
Barry Lowry, the Government Chief Information Officer, said officials were “working on an outline plan, which involves us collaborating with public service partners to develop a set of challenges that could conceivably be met by innovative solutions not currently available in the marketplace”.
“The idea would be that the most appropriate of these would be selected via an innovative evaluation panel, and the strongest taken forward using the EU Innovation Partnership procurement method.”
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“The benefit of this approach would be that it allows the public service to support several start-ups through solution and business mentoring, and funding to deliver products that could be used and scaled in Ireland but further afield, effectively creating exportable intellectual property.”
Mr Lowry described the concept as “very exciting”.
However, he stressed it would represent the first application of the method, including the first use in Ireland of the EU Innovation Partnership model “and, obviously, the first adoption of several new technologies and partnerships”.
“So clearly it will require careful thought and planning going forward,” he said.
An innovation partnership is a specific procurement procedure, which is provided for under EU directives, and involves a combination of the purchasing of research and development by one or more suppliers and the subsequent purchase of the resulting innovative product or service.
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The Oireachtas committee on Tuesday considered guidelines for the responsible use of AI in the public service, which were published by the Department of Public Expenditure in May.
Mr Lowry said the role of the guidelines was to be a further support to existing organisational governance relating to the adoption of technology, robust data governance, value for money and innovative ways of working.
“They do not, nor could they, set out the technical detail of how a public service body might best use AI in the development or improvement of its services. In other words, they provide guardrails for those doing the service transformation work rather than step-by-step advice on how to combine the technology components actually complete the work.”
