European Union Fosters Ethical AI in the Public Administration

This article addresses Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Public Administration, framing ethical aspects of the use of these technologies by public entities. The public sector, due to size, breadth of areas, and number of public entities it aggregates, is seen as an area of ​​opportunities, for the present and the future, some of which still unknown. The European Union has been a real driver of the implementation and use of AI in Public Administration, disclosing that in numerous documents, highlighting both the role of Public Administration and the relevance of ethical aspects in the development and use of AI in the public sector. Notwithstanding, the aforementioned documents signal public administrations in general have not yet achieved considerable improvements on the use of AI technologies. Because of opaque algorithms, AI lacks proper explanations of its decisions, so that the duty to justify its acts and the avoidance of discretionary power are not trampled on. Public Administration’s importance is paramount, for the amount of data it holds, and it contributes to system design with a different perspective than that of the private sector, privileging collective good over profit. Due to its overall purchasing power, it can be a vehicle for the dissemination of ethical AI in the private sector, through public procurement documents’ specifications. This article aims to contribute to interest in ethical AI research in Public Administration, an area whose studies have been scarce.