AI and Public Services

AI and Public Services

Author: UCL Political Science February 13, 2025 Duration: 42:48

Artificial intelligence is increasingly being touted as a game-changer across various sectors, including public services. But while AI presents significant opportunities for improving efficiency and effectiveness, concerns about fairness, equity, and past failures in public sector IT transformations loom large. And, of course, the idea of tech moguls like Elon Musk wielding immense influence over our daily lives is unsettling for many.

So, what are the real opportunities AI offers for public services? What risks need to be managed? And how well are governments—particularly in the UK—rising to the challenge?

In this episode, we dive into these questions with three expert guests who have recently published an article in The Political Quarterly on the subject:

Helen Margetts – Professor of Society and the Internet at the Oxford Internet Institute, University of Oxford, and Director of the Public Policy Programme at The Alan Turing Institute. Previously, she was Director of the School of Public Policy at UCL.

Cosmina Dorobantu – Co-director of the Public Policy Programme at The Alan Turing Institute.

Jonathan Bright – Head of Public Services and AI Safety at The Alan Turing Institute.

 

Mentioned in this episode:


Ever wonder what happens when sharp academic minds turn their focus to the headlines? UCL Uncovering Politics pulls back the curtain on the forces shaping our world, straight from the heart of one of the world's leading universities. This isn't a lecture series, but a series of conversations where complex ideas about power, culture, and society are made accessible and urgent. You'll hear researchers from UCL's Department of Political Science and School of Public Policy dissect everything from voting behaviour and international conflict to the philosophy underlying our social structures, connecting rigorous scholarship directly to current events. Each episode feels like sitting in on a fascinating discussion between experts who are as curious about the "why" behind political phenomena as they are knowledgeable. The podcast serves as a direct line to cutting-edge analysis, offering depth and context that goes far beyond the daily news cycle. By spotlighting the fantastic work done within the department, it provides listeners with a richer, more nuanced understanding of the mechanics behind culture, government, and the news we consume. Tune in for a thoughtful and genuinely enlightening exploration of contemporary politics, grounded in research but always engaged with the real world.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 161

UCL Uncovering Politics
Podcast Episodes
Ideas of Democracy [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:54
Democracy is what one social scientist once famously called an ‘essentially contested concept’ – one that we are never likely all to agree about. And disagreements over the form that democracy should take have lately spa…
Global Climate Justice [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:22
We’re returning this week to the topic of climate change. You may have heard our episode a few weeks ago exploring global climate governance. Well this week, we turn our attention to global climate justice. The climate c…
The Prerogative Powers of Governments [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:51
We typically divide the modern state into three branches: the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. On a traditional view, the legislature makes the laws, the executive implements them, and the judiciary decides…
Business Lobbying in the EU [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 31:48
How the European Union relates to the world of business has long been a matter of great contention. Scepticism towards the EU on the right of politics has for decades been fuelled by the perception that Brussels is a bur…
Global Climate Governance [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:24
There is common agreement that climate change poses the greatest policy challenge of our age. The costs of getting it wrong would be immense, but the barriers to getting it right are dauntingly high. Action is needed on…
The Politics of Asylum [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:10
The politics of asylum is more important than ever before. At the end of 2019, according to data from the UNHCR, there were 80 million displaced persons around the world. More than half of those were displaced within the…
Care and Punishment [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:07
Care ethics is a branch of moral philosophy that focuses on how we relate to, respond to, and care for each other. Its central question is not about what abstract principles of justice we should follow, but rather about…
The Limits of Free Speech on Social Media [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:24
Talking with each other about matters of politics and policy is an essential part of democracy. And today much of that conversation takes place online, through social media. The digital revolution has given voice to mill…
Trump's Legacy and the Biden Presidency [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:52
Joe Biden is President, Kamala Harris is Vice-President, and Donald Trump is out of office. The Senate and the House are both controlled by Democrats. A dramatic power shift is (more or less) complete. But the process of…
Contentious Politics under Covid-19 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:28
This week we focus on the political impact of Covid-19, and particularly the pandemic’s effects on so-called ‘contentious politics’ – politics conducted through confrontational means, whether protests, or strike actions…