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GCRI · Intelligence artificielle et systèmes autonomes

IA et services publics

Governments use algorithms to target benefits, detect fraud, triage health care, allocate inspections, translate and answer citizens’ questions. When these systèmes are wrong, opaque or biased, people lose services and rights they depend on, often without knowing why. This page sets out how public sector AI succeeds and fails, how it is assessed and made accountable, and what evidence serves the agencies, auditors and citizens involved.

01Canevas

Comment le travail se déroule.

systèmes · autour de ce sujetIllustratif

Registre des modèles

AI and public services · Model registry · Release gate

Un modèle bloqué à la porteGCRI · Intelligence artificielle et systèmes autonomes

Modèles

M-843 triage assistantService publicÉlevé22 of 24 suitesBloqué
M-266 flood nowcastScienceMoyen11 sur 12Publié
M-756 document searchInterneFaible8 of 8Publié
M-769 agent plannerAgentiqueÉlevé12 of 16En évaluation

Fiche de modèle

Utilisation prévue
aide au tri, décision humaine
Hors périmètre
décisions d'éligibilité
Limites connues
moindre précision sur les cas rares
Propriétaire
Propriétaire du modèle

Journal des incidents

  1. D-13INCCitation hallucinée dans le résumé
  2. D-6MITAncrage de la récupération ajouté
  3. D-2INCInjection de prompt via un fichier téléversé
  4. D-1MITAutorisation d'outil restreinte

Evaluation scores

vs release threshold

Task accuracy87 of 85 requiredRobustesse77 of 75 requiredFairness gap (lower is better)5 of 5 requiredRefusal on misuse94 of 95 required
Model registry: the screen’s structure, terms and states for AI and public services.Noms donnés à titre d'exemple et valeurs illustratives ; une conception, non un enregistrement ni un système en service.

Fig.Model registry: example names and illustrative values, not a record or a live system.

02La question

AI and public services: how the risk develops.

Public accountability, access and rights. The dossier below sets out how the risk develops, what is measured, where the data come from, how it is modelled and who decides.

Mécanisme

Errors fall on the vulnerable

People who depend most on public services are often those most affected by automated decisions, and least able to challenge them.

Mécanisme

Historical data carry bias

Models trained on past decisions can reproduce discrimination present in those decisions, even when protected characteristics are excluded.

Mécanisme

Opacity blocks challenge

When people cannot see that an algorithm was used or why it produced a result, they cannot contest it, and errors persist.

Mécanisme

Accountability stays with the agency

Procuring a system from a vendor does not transfer responsibility. Agencies must be able to explain, audit and override algorithmic decisions.

03Méthodes et preuves

How AI and public services is modelled, measured and tested.

Le modèle, ses hypothèses, ses données et son incertitude, sous la forme qu'un scientifique ou un ingénieur vérifierait. Les structures suivent des méthodes publiées. Les valeurs représentées sont illustratives, ce ne sont pas des résultats.

Modèle de système

The couplings between the systems in AI and public services: signs of influence, a reinforcing and a balancing loop, and cross-links where stress jumps.

++−+Intelligence artificielleDonnéesCommunautésÉconomieR renforçanteB équilibrage
Causal loop diagram from the page’s systems; signs show the direction of influence. Illustrative structure for a system dynamics or network model, not estimated couplings.
Principes directeurs FAIR · GO FAIR et FORCE11W3C PROV · World Wide Web ConsortiumOrientations sur le traitement cohérent des incertitudes · GIECCEOS Analysis Ready Data · Comité sur les satellites d'observation de la Terre
04À travers les domaines

AI in public services touches the domains people depend on.

Public service AI studies are designed for the série Notes de synthèse sur les preuves. The EU AI Act classifies many public-service uses as high-risk; UNESCO’s Recommendation (2021) and WHO guidance (2021) set ethical expectations.

  • Algorithmic impact assessments a body publishes.
  • Accounts from people affected by automated decisions.
05Indicateurs

Ce qui est mesuré, et avec quelle qualité.

Chaque indicateur porte son unité, sa périodicité, le type de source qui le sous-tend et l'étiquette de preuve que porterait une valeur. Aucune valeur n'est affichée : un programme les fournit sous sa propre autorité.

IndicateurUnitéFréquenceType de sourceÉtiquette
Public algorithm registerscount of systèmes registeredper updateGovernment algorithm registersStatistiques publiées
Algorithmic impact assessments completedpercent of deployed systemsannuelRegistres des agencesDÉCLARÉ
Error rate by population groupdifference in error ratesper auditAlgorithm auditsOBSERVÉ
Decisions appealed and overturnedcount and percentannuelAppeals recordsStatistiques publiées
Systems with human review of adverse decisionspercent of systemspar examenAgency documentationDÉCLARÉ
Audit findings on public sector algorithmscount by severityper audit cycleAudit office reportsDÉCLARÉ
06Sources

D'où proviennent les données probantes.

Jeux de données publics et registres institutionnels nommés, chacun avec sa catégorie de licence. Les sources fournies dans le cadre d'accords ne sont utilisées que selon leurs conditions et ne sont jamais republiées.

SourcesCe qu'elle apporteCatégorie de licence
Government algorithm and AI registers, such as the UK Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard recordsPublic records of algorithmic tools in useOpen, Open Government Licence where applicable
National audit office reports on algorithmsIndependent audits of public sector AIPublic records, licence per office
Observatoire des politiques de l'IA de l'OCDE (OECD.AI)Government AI policies and the AI Incidents MonitorPublic, OECD terms
Court and ombudsman decisions on automated decision-makingLegal findings on public sector algorithmsRegistres publics
Canada Directive on Automated Decision-Making and its impact assessment toolA model for impact assessment requirementsPublic, Government of Canada terms
07Décisions

Qui décide, et à quoi servent les données probantes.

Studio Intelligence artificielle et systèmes prepares evidence. The decisions below are taken by the authorities named, under their own rules, and never by the platform.

Qui décideLa questionDonnées probantes servies par cette page
Government agenciesWhether and how to deploy an algorithm in a public serviceImpact assessments; audit methods
Auditors and ombudspersonsWhere to investigate algorithmic harmRegisters; appeals data; audit evidence
ParlementsWhat transparency and accountability to requireComparative policy and case evidence

Résultats que produit ce thème

  • Impact assessment templates for public sector AI
  • Audit methods for disaggregated error and fairness
  • Transparency record templates
  • Case studies of public sector algorithm failures and fixes
08Questions essentielles

What public-sector technologists ask.

  • Is the system accurate for the whole population it serves, including minority groups?
  • Can affected people understand a decision, challenge it and get it corrected?
  • Who is accountable when an automated decision is wrong?
  • Does automation improve access, or does it create new barriers for people without digital skills or connections?
09Mécanismes

How automated decisions go wrong.

systèmes trained on historical administrative data inherit its biases and gaps. Risk-scoring tools can concentrate scrutiny on groups already over-represented in past enforcement. Small error rates become large numbers of wrongly affected people at national scale. When staff defer to the system, known as automation bias, errors are not caught.

Opacity compounds harm: if neither public servants nor citizens can see why a decision was made, it is hard to contest and slow to correct. Access barriers arise when services move online without alternatives.

10Méthodes et données

Evidence for accountable systems.

  1. 01

    Évaluation d'impact

    Structured assessment of a system’s purpose, data, affected groups and safeguards before deployment, using sciences sociales et comportementales. Quality depends on honest completion.

  2. 02

    Fairness and error analysis

    Disaggregated error rates by group, with les probabilités et la statistique. Different fairness definitions can conflict, so trade-offs must be made explicit.

  3. 03

    Explanation and contestability

    Designing decision notices and appeal routes people can use. Technical explanations do not by themselves make a decision contestable.

  4. 04

    Audit and monitoring

    Ongoing checks of outcomes and complaints after deployment.

12Where this page’s references

Where this page’s references lead.

Les organismes et documents à l'aune desquels cette page se lit. Les statuts et éditions changent ; chaque lien mène à l'organisme émetteur.

13Questions

Questions et réponses.

What is automated decision-making?
Decisions about people made wholly or partly by algorithms, such as eligibility for benefits or prioritisation for inspection, which some laws regulate specifically.
What is an algorithmic impact assessment?
A structured review before and during deployment of an algorithm’s purpose, data, risks to rights and safeguards, often required for public sector systems.
Can people challenge an algorithmic decision?
Many legal systems give rights to an explanation, human review or appeal, but these depend on knowing that an algorithm was used and on how the law applies.
Should public services use AI at all?
That is a decision for public authorities and the public. The platform’s role is to show what systems can do reliably, where they fail and what safeguards evidence supports.
What is automation bias?
The tendency of people to over-rely on automated recommendations, accepting them without adequate scrutiny even when they are wrong.
Can affected people use the platform’s work?
Yes. Outputs are written to be usable by advocates, ombudspersons and the public as well as by public servants.
Does the platform evaluate specific government systems?
Only through scoped projects with the competent authority under written terms. It does not audit systems on its own initiative or publish assessments without agreement.
RapportsContribuer

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Rapports is the Consortium’s quarterly publication. What you know about this subject can become evidence, a case or a correction in the next edition, credited to you and published under CC BY 4.0 where it is your own work.

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