The Joy of Politics

Marcus Shepheard of the Institute for Government in London has posted a hopeful overview of how future technologies will be used in government in the coming years. These technologies — the devices and softwares driving what has been called the “fourth industrial revolution” — will, in Shepheard’s words, “fundamentally reshape government workforces and change how government makes policy and delivers public services.”

I will share excerpts from Shepheard’s post below. First, a little context.

I say hopeful, as much of the euphoria that accompanied the introduction of many of these same technologies, and which Shepheard appears to share, has subsequently diminished, even soured, as the darker side of IT has been exposed spectacularly over the past few years.

In The Joy of Politics I dedicated a chapter to what I myself call “app-solute politics,” also known as Government 2.0. At the time of writing I partook in the excitement of many in civic tech, but also warned of certain ominous trends which were dampening my personal enthusiasm. I highlighted

I chose to showcase social media and three online tools — Google’s Constitute, Outline, an app which facilitated participatory budgeting, the Freedom of Information Act Machine, and the Washington Post’s short-lived real time fact checker, Truth Teller. I noted in passing one Tweet I saw during the 2016 Open Government Partnership summit in Paris: “Civic tech, the last chance to save democracy.”

I also warned of a series of challenges and worrisome trends posed by these same sorts of technological innovation. “How do you feel,” I asked, “about claims made by rival
political parties that they know whether and how you are going to vote before you do?” How do you feel, I now ask, about proposals that would have robots govern people? If anything, I concluded, these developments should make us think even more carefully about their widespread use in contemporary politics.

Without delving further into these challenges and trends, I urge you to consider Marcus Shepheard’s compendium in this light.

Source: Marcus Shepheard, “Future technology in government,” Institute for Government, May 21, 2019.

“Government has always been shaped by advances in technology. For example, advances in communication – from the printing press to email – have changed how governments organise themselves and interact with the public they serve. New future technologies have the potential to drive another fundamental shift in how the whole of government works.

In 2017 the Government Digital Service (GDS) conducted a survey of technological innovation in government. It identified five types of public sector innovation. These also broadly describe the types of change that new technology could bring within government.

Services	Future technologies may offer substantial improvements to how existing services are operated and delivered. Some existing services have already incorporated elements of future technology on a trial basis – for example, the use of advanced types of computer-based learning to predict the weather. They may also make entirely new types of service possible.
Processes	Within government, future technology has the potential to transform entire processes – such as welfare benefits payments or construction planning – in ways that significantly improve productivity and efficiency. This will include changes to the government workforce, which will see some tasks taken out of human hands, and the creation of other new tasks that require specific human action or oversight.
Regulations	As new technologies emerge and mature, they will create new regulatory needs and may also offer novel ways to regulate activities in a faster, more reactive, and more precise way. For example, algorithms using real-time traffic data could make on-the-go adjustments to speed limits to improve the flow of vehicles in towns and cities.
Policies	The unprecedented ability of future technologies to assemble, interrogate and interpret large amounts of data will transform how policies are made and implemented. This may make it possible to target policies with increasing precision, or to design policies which adapt smartly to changing circumstances.
Technology	The adoption of technologies by government, and its own internal process of innovation, may give rise to new forms of technology that have applications and benefits for government, the wider public sector and the private sector.

Definitions adapted from Government Digital Service, Technology innovation in government survey, 2017.

Where are these technologies currently being used in government?

The GDS review of the technology landscape identified well over a hundred projects across government which have experimented with or are actively trialling future technologies to various ends. Other examples are documented in news articles and other releases on GOV.UK, or the blogs of departmental digital and innovation units.

Current areas include:

Artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and algorithms

These are technologies which can learn from data to perform tasks that normally require human intelligence. For example:

• Project NELSON is a Ministry of Defence project which uses AI to provide a rapid decision-making capacity built into all warships. This system gathers information collected by Navy vessels, such as radar and sonar data. NELSON then incorporates this data into a single, secure platform that is shared between all the ships in a fleet. The AI system can automatically analyse this data and offer information on potential threats and hazards, ranging from hostile entities to adverse weather.
• Machine learning is being trialled to improve education in the UK. In 2018 Ofsted began using new automated methods to analyse historical school inspection data. Insights from this are used to help determine when a school needs to be inspected. Similarly the Department for Education is using computerised learning methods to analyse patterns of underinvestment in schools.

Blockchain, cryptocurrencies and distributed ledgers

These are technologies which offer new ways to securely store and share information. They can also form the basis for systems of information exchange, mediating new types of transaction. For example:

• The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has trialled a bespoke cryptocurrency, a type of digital money, called Govcoin to make benefits payments to individuals. This system aimed to make payments easier and more secure. Benefit claimants could access their funds instantly, and with the help of a new phone app they could apportion money to different needs – such as rent, utilities, or savings.
• Blockchain, a novel form of database technology, is being trialled by the Food Standards Agency to track the movement of cattle as part of the ongoing development of the Livestock Information Service. Information about cattle, such as their age and veterinary history has previously been spread over a mixture of paper records and digital databases. The new system brings this information together in a single place. Using blockchain adds transparency to the system of records and makes it easier for farmers and vets to add new information and share it instantly.

Drones, mechanical robots, wearables and the internet of things

These are physical devices which may have some autonomy; they can perform tasks in place of humans. These devices are particularly suited for tasks which take place in inaccessible or hazardous environments, or require speed, strength or precision beyond human abilities. They can also enable people to interact with intelligent systems and the internet in new and more direct ways.

• The Defence Science Technology Laboratory’s Project Minerva seeks to develop an autonomous robot which can investigate sites with chemical or biological hazards. This greatly reduces the risks that individual human investigators face when examining these types of site.
• The NHS has been developing a system called Technology Integrated Health Management as part of its larger NHS Test Beds programme. This system aims to improve the care of individuals with dementia and help them to live more independently in their own home. Networks of sensors, monitors and other devices, some worn by the patient, some placed in their home, gather information about the patient and provide insights and alerts which help to support their wellbeing.

Data visualisation, simulation and big data

Building on the potential of methods such as deep learning to interrogate data, these technologies offer new ways for people to interact with and immerse themselves in virtual worlds and other environments that derive from massive datasets.

• Sky View 360 is a virtual reality training system developed by the Met Office to enhance how it trains its meteorologists. Part of the training program involves familiarising trainees with features of the weather, such as different cloud types or the intensity of rain. Previously this involved spending time outside, so depended on the right conditions. Using virtual reality, relevant weather features can be simulated to help trainees develop the understanding they need.
• DWP has developed Churchill, a novel data visualisation system. This “allows policy makers to safely explore [ONS] data by geography, time and characteristics to develop and deliver data-driven and evidence-based policy”. Previously officials would get these data releases in large document packs which did not always have the exact statistics they needed. Churchill provides instant access to the exact data they need when they are developing policy.

These are just some of the projects that have been trialled by government organisations in the UK. In addition to the four main areas of technology outlined above, there have been advances in the infrastructure that underpins them – such as 5G, cloud services and advanced forms of computer hardware.

These kinds of innovation are not limited to the UK – new technologies are being trialled and used in governments all over the world:

• Estonia has developed a form of distributed ledger, a secure type of shared database, called Keyless Signature Infrastructure (KSI). This provides a secure system to store government information. Estonians can use KSI to verify the authenticity of official documents and electronically sign them if needed.
• South Korea has published a government-wide strategy for future technology that emphasises the applications of what they call ‘intelligent IT’ to government services. This includes military and law-enforcement applications, as well as customising administrative and welfare services. The South Korean Government is developing a system called MeGov which will “automatically recognise the needs and circumstances of individual citizens”.