Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
addClaim

The Artificial Bureaucrat: Artificial Intelligence in Street-Level Work

Authors: Peter André Busch;

The Artificial Bureaucrat: Artificial Intelligence in Street-Level Work

Abstract

Public service provision in the frontline, coined street-level bureaucracy, has been gradually impacted by information and communications technology (ICT) for decades. This impact, however, has mostly considered ICT as a tool suitable for tasks with low complexity. With recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), there are examples of AI use for more complex street-level work. Examples include cases where AI is used for assessing eligibility for social benefits, predictive policing models, automated grading, and diagnostics in healthcare. While these applications demonstrate potential benefits, they also introduce new challenges related to privacy, accountability, corporatization and alienation of street-level work, and client service experiences. This article is a critical reflection on the street-level potential of AI in providing public services. This study contributes to the ongoing debate on AI's impact in street-level work by emphasizing both the potential benefits and risks associated with AI integration in frontline service provision. While AI may mitigate some limitations of human decision-making (e.g., subjectivity, inconsistency, and bias), it can also introduce challenges that require careful consideration (e.g., lack of transparency, data-driven bias, and limited contextual adaptation). By critically reflecting on AI's street-level potential, this article calls for a balanced approach to AI adoption in street-level work.

Related Organizations
  • BIP!
    Impact byBIP!
    selected citations
    These citations are derived from selected sources.
    This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    1
    popularity
    This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
    influence
    This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
    Average
    impulse
    This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
    Average
Powered by OpenAIRE graph
Found an issue? Give us feedback
selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
1
Average
Average
Average
Upload OA version
Are you the author of this publication? Upload your Open Access version to Zenodo!
It’s fast and easy, just two clicks!