Government services entering the age of artificial intelligence
Preliminary study on the Aurora national artificial intelligence programme
The Ministry of Finance launched a preliminary study on the Aurora national artificial intelligence programme on 17 September 2018. The aim of Aurora is to accelerate the transitioning of public administration into the age of artificial intelligence in a secure, ethical manner. The idea behind Aurora is to make it possible for citizens to access the wide range of services available from service providers into seamless, smoothly functioning entities when dealing with various life events.
The purpose of the preliminary study is to create an entity for organisations providing services for the life events of people and business transactions of companies that would enable the mutual interplay of an artificial intelligence network.
"Even by international standards, Aurora is a truly unique artificial intelligence project. Data use and artificial intelligence are used to build entirely new services that cross administrative boundary lines. This is centred around the citizens' experience of smooth-functioning services, not the needs of a single agency," explains Minister of Local Government and Public Reforms Anu Vehviläinen, who is heading the digitalisation of public services.
Artificial intelligence and information policy are now making strides over an even broader area in Finland. The draft Government report on information policy in the age of artificial intelligence is currently in the consultation round, along with the new Information Management Act. A call for projects in artificial intelligence, robotics and other new technologies is currently open to government agencies.
Real life events to serve as pilots for the artificial intelligence programme
Aurora is primarily intended to be built around the real life events of people and business transactions of companies, in which smart applications are linked with a shared network to serve people when dealing with life events and companies when conducting business. The first trial version of Aurora will be implemented during the preliminary study phase, in which life event pilots launched earlier in 2018 will be used. These pilots include:
- Moving to a place of study
- Gaining a foothold in working life through competence development
- The well-being of children and parents in changing family relationships
The aim of the preliminary study phase is to recognise what kinds of changes to life event-based entities mean from an operational and management standpoint.
The preliminary study project is part of the proposals made in the Finland's Age of Artificial Intelligence report . The report describes how beginning the application of artificial intelligence as early as possible benefits Finland. According to a report estimate, if active, artificial intelligence-based development measures are focused on new development and generating growth, the per capita GDP would increase 3% a year until 2030 and net employment would be as much as 5% higher.
EUR 1 million in Government key project funding for the digitalisation of public services has been allocated to the development of the artificial intelligence network concept, drafting detailed plans and launching trials for the implementation of Aurora.
The term of the preliminary study project is 15 September 2018–28 February 2019. A more extensive implementation of the artificial intelligence programme will be separately decided upon after the entity and its plans have been more clearly defined in the preliminary study phase.
"The preliminary study makes it possible for the next Government to quickly make a decision to implement artificial intelligence in Finland on a broad scale," states Minister Vehviläinen.
Inquiries
Tuomas Vanhanen, Special Adviser to Anu Vehviläinen, Minister of Local Government and Public Reforms, tuomas.vanhanen(at)vm.fi, tel. +358 (0)295 530216
Special adviser Aleksi Kopponen, firstname.lastname(at)vm.fi, tel. +358 (0)295 6457
Special adviser Jouko Salonen, firstname.lastname(at)vm.fi, tel. +358 (0)29 5530572
Aurora artificial intelligence programme at vm.fi
Twitter: topic ID #AuroraAI