The purpose of this report is to provide policy-makers and practitioners in government with an overview of controversial deployments of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the public sector, and to highlight some of the approaches being taken to govern the responsible use of these technologies in government. While the scope of this report does not include specific recommendations, it is the authors' hope that it will spark further consideration and discussion of some key questions related to the responsible use of AI by public sector organisations.

This project was administered by the Institute on Governance and conducted by Think Digital. This report has been written with a Canadian lens. However, the authors have suggested that the insights are generally applicable to public sector institutions in other jurisdictions as well. The premise behind this report is simple: the AI genie is out of the bottle, and it is not going back in. As a result, governments at all levels are increasingly going to have to grapple with how to responsibly use these powerful, compelling and accessible technologies. Avoidance is not a realistic strategy, therefore understanding what other jurisdictions are doing, what has worked, and what has not, is valuable for government officials as they consider the risks involved in using (or not using) AI in the public sector.