In a landmark move towards modernising administrative decision-making, the NSW Ombudsman has highlighted the transformative potential of machine technology within government operations. Detailed in the Ombudsman's recent report The New Machinery of Government: Using Machine Technology in Administrative Decision-Making represents a paradigm shift in how technology can enhance efficiency, accuracy, and fairness in public sector decision-making.
Machine technology, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, opens up unprecedented opportunities for government agencies to refine service delivery and decision-making processes. The Ombudsman's insights stress the vital need to shape these technologies to align with legal and ethical standards, ensuring transparency, accountability, and the safeguarding of individual rights.
A case in point is Revenue NSW, demonstrating the tangible benefits of integrating automation into administrative workflows. However, the use of automated decision-making systems (ADMs) by Revenue NSW faced significant legal and operational challenges, as identified by the NSW Ombudsman. Key issues included:
- the absence of lawful authority and human engagement in decision-making processes;
- failure to meet statutory requirements for individual discretion; and
- doubts about the substantive nature of human oversight in the newly introduced manual review step.
These challenges underscore the necessity for automated systems to operate within legal frameworks, incorporate meaningful human judgment, and ensure transparency and accountability, especially in actions affecting individual rights and financial statuses. The case highlights the importance of aligning ADM with statutory obligations and the potential for legal challenges against decisions made without appropriate human discretion.
Amidst the evolution of ADMs, a narrative of scepticism persists, largely stemming from misconceptions surrounding the technology. It's essential to recognise that ADMs, when implemented in a transparent, open manner that aligns with regulations and laws, can significantly benefit society. Much of the apprehension surrounding ADMs arises from a lack of understanding, with many perceiving it as a "black box" of AI, which isn't always the case.
Enter Decisively, a beacon of innovation crafted to meet and overcome these challenges.
Decisively is revolutionising the decision-making landscape by providing a platform that blends the efficiency and speed of automation with the nuances of operational intricacies and human judgment. Here's how Decisively stands out as a solution:
- Enhanced Accuracy with Regulatory Digital Twin: Decisively's innovative platform creates digital twins of regulations and policies in their natural form, ensuring decisions are informed by the latest and most comprehensive regulatory content. This method enhances accuracy and allows for the simulation of compliance scenarios, providing a dynamic approach to navigating regulations.
- Precise and Personalised Automation: By automating the interpretation and application of complex regulations, Decisively minimises human error, ensuring consistent precision in compliance tasks and reducing the potential for non-compliance.
- Transparency and Auditability: Decisively emphasises transparency, making every decision processed through the platform traceable and explainable. This is crucial for public sector entities aiming to rebuild and maintain public trust.
- Operational Efficiency through Streamlined Processes: Through its digital operational twin, Decisively streamlines and automates operational processes, allowing organisations to significantly reduce manual effort and minimise errors. As a result, resources can be reallocated from administrative tasks to focus on growth and innovation, ensuring that organisations remain agile and efficient while driving forward their strategic objectives.
The NSW Ombudsman's report is a call to action, urging us to reflect on how we can harness the power of automation responsibly. Decisively answers this call, offering a path forward where technology and human values converge to create a decision-making process that is not just efficient, but transparent, reliable, and, fundamentally, aligned with the public good.
In embracing platforms like Decisively, we can lead the way in setting a new standard for decision-making - one that is fit for the complexities of the modern world.
