Artificial Intelligence and Frontline Public Service

Jeffares, Stephen

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-54084-5_1

Stephen Jeffares²

418 Accesses
1 Citations

Abstract

This chapter opens with an example of a local authority announcing it was hiring Amelia, the world’s first virtual public servant. It quotes press release suggesting Amelia was not only more efficient but also emotionally engaged. The chapter summarises how the national press reacted to the announcement and focused on the idea of Amelia being a robot that would replace the existing workforce. This example sets up a wider question about the role artificial intelligence and related technologies are set to play in frontline public service. The chapter details how AI is currently being used across police and criminal justice, social work and social care, health care, schools and local government. The chapter then considers how the promise of AI is reshaping traditional ideas of face-to-face work and public encounters. The chapter offers an overview of the book and its chapter structure.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Chapter: USD 29.95; Price excludes VAT (USA)

eBook: USD 89.00; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Softcover Book: USD 119.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Hardcover Book: USD 119.99; Price excludes VAT (USA)

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

Agarwal, P. K. (2018). Public Administration Challenges in the World of AI and Bots. Public Administration Review, 78(6), 917–992.
Article Google Scholar
Alzheimer’s Society. (2019). Meet Pepper, Southend-on-Sea Borough Council’s Dementia Friendly Robot. Retrieved November 15, 2019, from https://www.alzheimers.org.uk/blog/pepper-the-dementia-friendly-robot-southend-council.
Aylesbury Vale District Council. (2018, April 26). Digital Genius and Aylesbury District Council. YouTube.com. Retrieved December 15, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhlv6MEkXHw.
Barnhizer, D., & Barnhizer, D. (2019). The Artificial Intelligence Contagion: Can Democracy Withstand the Imminent Transformation of Work, Wealth and the Social Order? Moruya: SCB Distributors.
Google Scholar
Bartels, K. P. (2013). Public Encounters: The History And Future Of Face-To-Face Contact Between Public Professionals And Citizens. Public Administration, 91(2), 469–483.
Article Google Scholar
Bartels, K. P. (2015). Communicative Capacity: Public Encounters in Participatory Theory and Practice. Bristol: Policy Press.
Book Google Scholar
BBC News. (2017, May 24). Robot Police Officer Goes on Duty in Dubai. Retrieved November 17, 2019, from https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-40026940.
Beer, D. (2018). The Data Gaze: Capitalism, Power and Perception. London: Sage.
Google Scholar
Bekkers, V., Edwards, A., Moody, R., & Beunders, H. (2011). Caught by Surprise? Micro- Mobilization, New Media and the Management of Strategic Surprises. Public Management Review, 13(7), 1003–1021.
Article Google Scholar
Blunden, M. (2016). Enfield Council Uses Robotic ‘Supercomputer’ Instead of Humans to Deliver Frontline Services. London: Evening Standard.
Google Scholar
Booth, R. (2019, October 14). Benefits System Automation Could Plunge Claimants Deeper into Poverty. The Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/oct/14/fears-rise-in-benefits-system-automation-could-plunge-claimants-deeper-into-poverty.
Booth, R. (2019b, October 15). How Bristol Assesses Citizens’ Risk of Harm-Using an Algorithm. The Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/oct/15/bristol-algorithm-assess-citizens-risk-harm-guide-frontline-staff.
Bozkurt, A., Kilgore, W., & Crosslin, M. (2018). Bot-Teachers in Hybrid Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs): A Post-Humanist Experience. Australasian Journal of Educational Technology, 34(3). https://doi.org/10.14742/ajet.3273.
Buffat, A. (2015). Street-Level Bureaucracy and E-Government. Public Management Review, 17(1), 149–161.
Article Google Scholar
Chowdhury, H. (2019, October 4). Controversial Doctor App Babylon Health Eyes Manchester Expansion. Accessed November 11, 2019, from https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2019/10/04/fears-huge-bill-nhs-doctor-app-babylon-health-eyes-manchester/
de Sousa, W. G., de Melo, E. R. P., Bermejo, P. H. D. S., Farias, R. A. S., & Gomes, A. O. (2019). How and Where Is Artificial Intelligence in the Public Sector Going? A Literature Review and Research Agenda. Government Information Quarterly, 36(4), 101392.
Article Google Scholar
Dubois, V. (2010). The Bureaucrat and the Poor: Encounters in French Welfare Offices. Burlington, VT: Ashgate.
Google Scholar
Durose, C. (2009). Front-Line Workers and “Local Knowledge”: Neighborhood Stories in Contemporary UK Local Governance. Public Administration, 87(1), 35–49.
Article Google Scholar
F&P Personal Robotics. (2019). Your Personal Robots. Retrieved November 12, 2019, from https://www.fp-robotics.com/en/.
Feeney, M. K., & Welch, E. W. (2016). Technology-Task Coupling: Exploring Social Media Use and Managerial Perceptions of E-Government. American Review Of Public Administration, 46(2), 162–179. https://doi.org/10.1177/0275074014547413.
Article Google Scholar
Financial Times. (2016, May 9). The Soft Side of Robots: Elderly Care. Retrieved November 17, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppPLDEi82lg&t=593s.
Finnish Immigration Service. (2019). Home Page. Retrieved November 5, 2019, from https://migri.fi/en/home#openChat.
Franhofer IPA. (2014, November 6). ACCOMPANY—Integrated Robot Technologies for Supporting Elderly People in Their Homes. Retrieved November 15, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CD9Gxz6qBw.
Frey, C. B., & Osborne, M. A. (2017). The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation? Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 114, 254–280.
Article Google Scholar
Glynos, J., & Howarth, D. (2007). Logics of Critical Explanation in Social and Political Theory. London: Routledge.
Book Google Scholar
Goel, A. K., & Polepeddi, L. (2016). Jill Watson: A Virtual Teaching Assistant for Online Education. Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved December 3, 2019, from https://www.ipsoft.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/On-the-Radar-IPsoft-delivers-single-comprehensive-AI-platform.pdf.
Goodsell, C. T. (Ed.). (1981). The Public Encounter: Where State and Citizen Meet. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press.
Google Scholar
GovTech. (2017). Chatbots Debut in North Carolina. Retrieved September 10, 2017, from http://www.govtech.com/Chatbots-Debut-in-North-Carolina-Allow-IT-Personnel-to-Focus-on-Strategic-Tasks.html.
GovTech Singapore. (2019). Ask Jamie Virtual Assistant. Retrieved November 5, 2019, from https://www.tech.gov.sg/products-and-services/ask-jamie/.
Griggs, S., & Howarth, D. (2008). Populism, Localism and Environmental Politics: The Logic and Rhetoric of the Stop Stansted Expansion Campaign. Planning Theory, 7(2), 123–144.
Article Google Scholar
Hadden, S. G. (1986). Intelligent Advisory Systems for Managing and Disseminating Information. Public Administration Review, 572–578.
Google Scholar
Hajer, M. (2002). Discourse Analysis and the Study of Policy Making. European Political Science, 2(1), 61–65.
Article Google Scholar
Handler, J. F. (1996). Down From Bureaucracy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Book Google Scholar
Hao, K. (2019, August 2). China Has Started a Grand Experiment in AI Education. It Could Reshape How the World Learns. Retrieved January 7, 2020, from https://www.technologyreview.com/s/614057/china-squirrel-has-started-a-grand-experiment-in-ai-education-it-could-reshape-how-the/.
Hastings, A. (2009). Poor Neighbourhoods and Poor Services: Evidence on the “Rationing” of Environmental Service Provision to Deprived Neighbourhoods. Urban Studies, 46(13), 2907–2927.
Article Google Scholar
Hawksworth, J., Berriman, R., & Goel, S. (2018). Will Robots Really Steal Our Jobs? An International Analysis of the Potential Long Term Impact of Automation. Retrieved 13, from PricewaterhouseCoopers. http://pwc.co.uk/economics.
Huang, Y., Wu, Q., & Hou, Y. (2017). Examining Twitter Mentions Between Police Agencies and Public Users Through the Lens of Stakeholder Theory. In Proceedings of the 18th Annual International Conference on Digital Government Research (pp. 30–38). ACM.
Google Scholar
INF Robotics. (2019). Who Is Rudy? Retrieved November 19, 2019, from http://infrobotics.com/#rudy.
Intuition Robotics. (2019). Hi, I’m ElliQ. Retrieved November 15, 2019, from https://elliq.com/.
IPsoft. (2016, June 16). First Public Sector Role for IPsoft’s Amelia as Enfield Council Deploys Her to Boost Local Services. Retrieved December 2, 2019, from https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160615006592/en/.
Jamieson, S. (2016, June 16). Robot Called Amelia to Do the Job of Human Council Workers for the First Time. The Telegraph.
Google Scholar
Jeffares, S. R. (2008). Why Public Policy Ideas Catch On: Empty Signifiers and Flourishing Neighbourhoods. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Birmingham.
Google Scholar
Jeffares, S. (2014). Interpreting Hashtag Politics: Policy Ideas in an Era of Social Media. London: Palgrave.
Book Google Scholar
Kendrick, M. (2019, April 17). The Border Guards You Can’t Win Over with a Smile. Retrieved December 15, 2019, from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190416-the-ai-border-guards-you-cant-reason-with.
King, C. S., Feltey, K. M., & Susel, B. O. (1998). The Question of Participation: Toward Authentic Public Participation in Public Administration. Public Administration Review, 58(4), 317–326.
Article Google Scholar
Knightscope, (2019). Securing America’s Healthcare Centers. Available at https://www.knightscope.com/blog-1/2019/2/18/securing-americas-healthcare-centers.
Laclau, E., & Mouffe, C. (2014). Hegemony and Socialist Strategy: Towards a Radical Democratic Politics. London: Verso Trade.
Google Scholar
Lee, K. (2019). AI Superpowers; China, Silicon Valley and the New World Order. New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Google Scholar
Lindström, K. (2019, February 21). The Data Inspectorate Reviews the School After Attempts at Face Recognition. Retrieved December 15, 2019, from https://computersweden.idg.se/2.2683/1.715020/ansiktsigenkanning-skola-datainspektionen?.
Low, V. (2016, June 20). A Robot Called Amelia Offers Council an Answer to all Problems. The Times.
Google Scholar
Marsh, S. (2019, October 15). One in Three Councils Using Algorithms to Make Welfare Decisions. The Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/oct/15/councils-using-algorithms-make-welfare-decisions-benefits.
McCrum, K. (2016). Robot ‘Amelia’ Who Can ‘Sense Emotions’ to Start Work in Council Job INSTEAD of Usual Human Workers. London: Daily Mirror.
Google Scholar
McLuhan, M. (1964). Understanding Media. London: Routledge.
Google Scholar
Megaw, N. (2016, June 16) Council Takes on Its First Robot Worker. Financial Times.
Google Scholar
Meier, K. J., & Bothe, J. (2001). Structure and Discretion: Missing Links in Representative Bureaucracy. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 11(4), 455–470.
Article Google Scholar
NEC Corporation. (2016). Video on Face Recognition Solutions—NeoFace. Retrieved November 11, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4u4Dpl6NKk.
PA Consulting. (2018). Alexa, Can You Support Someone with Care Needs? Trialling Consumer Devices in Adult Social Care. London: PA Knowledge Limited.
Google Scholar
Paro Robotics. (2019). Paro Therapeutic Robot. Retrieved December 15, 2019, from http://www.parorobots.com/index.asp.
Pekkarinen, S., Tuisku, O., Hennala, L., & Melkas, H. (2019). Robotics in Finnish Welfare Services: Dynamics in an Emerging Innovation Ecosystem. European Planning Studies, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2019.1693980
Prigg, M. (2016, June 16). Meet Amelia the AI Assistant: ‘Virtual Agent’ Gets Job at a London Council Answering Customer Queries. Daily Mail.
Google Scholar
Qnomy. (2019). Retrieved October 1, 2019, from https://www.qnomy.com/customer-flow-management.
Reddick, C. G., Abdelsalam, H. M., & Elkadi, H. (2011). The Influence of E‐Government on Administrative Discretion: The Case of Local Governments in Egypt. Public Administration and Development, 31(5), 390–407.
Google Scholar
Reyes, R. (2019, November 6). Consideration And Approval Of An Agreement With Knightscope Inc. For A Service Subscription For A K5 Model Autonomous Robot And Software, Staff Report for Mayor and Council, City of Huntington Park Police Department. Retrieved from https://www.hpca.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/4511.
Riken. (2015, February 23). The Strong Robot with the Gentle Touch. Retrieved November 15, 2015, from https://www.riken.jp/en/news_pubs/research_news/2015/20150223_2/
Russell, S. (2019). Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control. London: Allen Lane.
Google Scholar
Schuppan, T. (2015). Service Workers on the Electronic Leash? Street-Level Bureaucrats in Emerging Information and Communication Technology Work Contexts. Understanding Street-Level Bureaucracy, 243–260.
Google Scholar
Semigran, H. L., Linder, J. A., Gidengil, C., & Mehrotra, A. (2015). Evaluation of Symptom Checkers for Self Diagnosis and Triage: Audit Study. BMJ, 351, h3480.
Article Google Scholar
Siddique, H. (2019, July 10). NHS Teams Up with Amazon to Bring Alexa to Patients. The Guardian. Retrieved December 15, 2019, from https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jul/10/nhs-teams-up-with-amazon-to-bring-alexa-to-patients.
Singh, O. (2019, October 30). Durban Police Roll Out RoboCars to Neat Festive Season Crime. Sowetan Live. Retrieved November 17, 2019, from https://www.sowetanlive.co.za/news/south-africa/2019-10-30-watch-durban-police-roll-out-robocars-to-beat-festive-season-crime/.
Smith, M. (2016, June 20). ‘It Will Be Like Speaking to a Person’: Plans for AI to Answer Planning and Permit Applications at Enfield Council. Enfield Independent.
Google Scholar
Stout, M., & Love, J. M. (2017). Integrative Governance: A Method for Fruitful Public Encounter. The American Review of Public Administration, 47(1), 130–147.
Article Google Scholar
Tao, L. (2018, November 23). Facial Recognition Snares China’s Air Con Queen Dong Mingzhu for Jaywalking, But It’s Not What It Seems. South China Morning Post. Retrieved December 15, 2019, from https://www.scmp.com/tech/innovation/article/2174564/facial-recognition-catches-chinas-air-con-queen-dong-mingzhu.
Tech World. (2019, May 3). Watch a “Police Robot’ Pull a Car Over (Demo Prototype of SRI International’s Police Robot. Retrieved May 3, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12p7-0AS1cU.
Tegmark, M. (2017). Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence. London: Penguin.
Google Scholar
Torfing, J. (2005). Discourse Theory: Achievements, Arguments, and Challenges. In Discourse Theory in European Politics (pp. 1–32). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Google Scholar
Tracworx. (2019). Wifi Based Patient Flow, Print Flyer. Retrieved September 30, 2019, from https://www.tracworx.ai/.
Unnithan, G. (2019, February 20). India’s first RoboCop: Kerala Police Inducts Robot, Gives It SI Rank. India Today. Retrieved November 17, 2019, from https://www.indiatoday.in/trending-news/story/india-first-robocop-kerala-police-inducts-robot-gives-si-rank-1460371-2019-02-20.
Van Belleghem, S. (2017). Customers the Day After Tomorrow: How to Attract Customers in a World of AI, Bots and Automation. Lannoo Meulenhoff-Belgium.
Google Scholar
Vergic. (2017). Agent Assisting BOT/AI. Retrieved November 12, 2019, from https://vimeo.com/240138630.
Verzantvoort, N. C., Teunis, T., Verheij, T. J., & van der Velden, A. W. (2018). Self-Triage for Acute Primary Care Via a Smartphone Application: Practical, Safe and Efficient? PloS One, 13(6), e0199284.
Article Google Scholar
Vinzant, J., & Crothers, L. (1996). Street-Level Leadership: Rethinking the Role of Public Servants in Contemporary Governance. American Review of Public Administration, 26(4), 457–476.
Article Google Scholar
Vitalis, A., & Duhaut, N. (2004). Nouvelles Technologies De L’information Et De La Communication Et Relation Administrative: De La Relation De Guichet À La Relation De Réseau. Revue Française D’Administration Publique, 110, 315–326.
Article Google Scholar
West Midlands Police. (2018, October 18). Click & Collect a Crook! New Tech Keeping Cops on the Streets. Retrieved November 19, 2019, from https://www.west-midlands.police.uk/news/click-collect-crook-new-tech-keeping-cops-streets.
Wirtz, J., Patterson, P. G., Kunz, W. H., Gruber, T., Lu, V. N., Paluch, S., & Martins, A. (2018). Brave New World: Service Robots in the Frontline. Journal of Service Management, 29(5), 907–931.
Article Google Scholar
Wood, B., Reddin, W., Tweedy, E., & Evans, C. (2019, May 2). FamilyStory: Improving Outcomes for Children and Families. Retrieved December 10, 2019, from https://blog.wearefuturegov.com/familystory-improving-outcomes-for-children-and-families-3e9159c1f7ed.
Xhby. (2017). Robots Lead Business. Retrieved December 1, 2019, from http://js.xhby.net/system/2017/08/02/030721453.shtml.
Yanow, D. (1996). How Does a Policy Mean?: Interpreting Policy and Organizational Actions. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Google Scholar
Zheng, Y., Yu, H., Cui, L., Miao, C., Leung, C., & Yang, Q. (2018, January 22). SmartHS: An AI Platform for Improving Government Service Provision. Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence. Retrieved from http://www.ntulily.org/wp-content/uploads/conference/SmartHS_An_AI_Platform_for_Improving_Government_Service_Provision_accepted.pdf.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

School of Government and Society, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
Stephen Jeffares

Authors

Stephen Jeffares
View author publications
You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Stephen Jeffares .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Jeffares, S. (2021). Artificial Intelligence and Frontline Public Service. In: The Virtual Public Servant. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54084-5_1

Download citation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-54084-5_1
Published: 01 December 2020
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-54083-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-54084-5
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics