What Potential Does AI Offer for the Public Sector?

AI (Artificial Intelligence) is likely to be one of the big trends of 2019. In this blog post we explain why AI may be especially helpful for companies in the public sector and why cloud computing plays a crucial role in it.

AI is likely to be one of the big trends of 2019 as all industries and sectors explore how it can be used. The public sector is no exception to this trend, and already, we are seeing AI solutions being implemented to improve efficiency and reduce costs. As the results from these projects prove the investment case, more public bodies will explore how AI can help to deliver better public services, while making the lives of employees easier.

When it comes to efficiency, a good example of how this works in practice can be seen at Birmingham City Council. The council has employed an AI-powered customer experience platform to respond to the 2.19 million emails and phone calls it receives. This saves employees’ time by automating the handling of answering routine enquiries and reduces resource costs for the council.

Another example is the use of AI by the NHS to improve heart disease diagnosis and deliver better outcomes. This has the potential to save lives and save the NHS money through quicker diagnosis and more accurate and speedier treatment of patients.

Through AI, the public sector benefits from reducing guesswork through analyzing vast amounts of data quickly and automating repetitive tasks. This enables staff to concentrate on higher-value priorities and on providing even better value services for tax-payers.

Ultimately, AI should be part of the overall digital transformation strategy for public sector organizations. One factor fundamental to making it work is cloud computing – cloud can provide the capacity, scale and storage needed to underpin AI projects. Microsoft Azure is one such cloud platform with the capabilities to support AI, with Microsoft having done much work on making Azure a natural fit.

We are an Azure Expert Managed Services Provider that can help organizations embrace AI – with bespoke training and consultancy delivered using our expertise on how to maximize Azure investments.