The Readiness of the Public Sector to Implement AI: A Government-Specific Framework

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems in the provision of public services has increased considerably. AI is allegedly the main technology that can support the government’s digital transformation agenda. However, in practice, many government organizations still struggle to implement AI successfully, and research on the factors influencing governments’ readiness to integrate AI is lacking. This study develops a conceptual framework containing specific factors influencing governments’ readiness to implement AI. The framework comprises factors concerning data, technology, people, organization, environment, and public values. Through a systematic literature review synthesizing 42 articles, we identified 18 generic factors, 21 AI-specific factors, and 14 AI/government-specific factors. We conclude that readiness factors change throughout the stages of AI use in government, as the stage of planning and developing AI in government organizations is associated with readiness factors different from the stage of implementing AI. To our knowledge, this study is among the first to outline specific factors that characterize the stages of AI implementation in government.