Harnessing artificial intelligence for better governance

In the twenty-first century, the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping not only private companies and tech industries but also how governments work, serve citizens, and manage development. From automating routine tasks to predicting outcomes, AI holds tremendous potential to improve governance and public service delivery—if used responsibly. In a country as vast and diverse as India, with its many languages and administrative challenges, AI offers new ways to make governance more efficient, transparent, and inclusive. However, it also comes with challenges such as data privacy risks, bias in algorithms, and the danger of over-relying on machines for decision-making.

In India, AI is already making its presence felt across different levels of government. The IndiaAI Mission and Centres of Excellence in AI for healthcare, agriculture, and sustainable cities are helping to institutionalise the technology. The BHASHINI Mission, which uses AI for language translation, is breaking barriers for millions by enabling access to government services in regional languages.
According to the national AI portal, the government uses AI in areas like language technology, rail ticket optimisation, biometric payments, citizen chatbots, and urban data exchange. At the state level, several success stories highlight how AI is improving governance. Tamil Nadu’s Uzhavan app helps farmers with AI-based pest diagnosis, Uttar Pradesh uses an AI system called JARVIS for real-time prison monitoring, and Telangana’s Real-Time Governance Society (RTGS) uses dashboards to track service delivery and development indicators.

Beyond individual projects, AI is improving how governments plan and deliver welfare schemes. It helps in better targeting of subsidies, reducing leakages, improving procurement oversight, and providing predictive insights for agriculture, health, and education. This shift from reactive to proactive governance is transforming the way public administration functions in India.
At the same time, India can learn a great deal from how other countries have used AI in governance. Singapore’s Model AI Governance Framework is a strong example of balancing innovation with ethics and fairness. Estonia, one of the most digitally advanced nations, uses platforms like KrattAI to automate services like tax filing and health prescriptions, proving how AI and digital public infrastructure (DPI) can work hand in hand.

The European Union (EU) is also setting a benchmark with its proposed AI Act, which focuses on accountability, transparency, and data protection. Meanwhile, Canada’s human-centred AI approach ensures that public trust remains at the heart of technological innovation. Learning from these examples, India can develop its own model that fits its unique needs—focusing on ethical use, inclusivity, and institutional readiness.

AI offers many clear benefits for governance. It can make public administration faster and more efficient by automating repetitive work and reducing bureaucratic delays. It also helps improve inclusiveness by analysing large datasets to identify who needs help the most, making welfare schemes more targeted and effective. Transparency improves as real-time dashboards and data monitoring make it easier to hold systems accountable. AI also enhances citizen experience through innovations like multilingual chatbots and voice assistants that make it easier to access services. Moreover, AI helps policymakers make data-driven decisions, allowing governments to predict and prevent problems rather than react to them.

However, several challenges stand in the way of large-scale AI adoption in governance. The first is data quality—many government datasets are incomplete or biased, which can lead to unfair decisions. The second is the digital divide—rural and remote regions still lack reliable internet connectivity, data centres, and trained personnel. Without strong digital infrastructure, the benefits of AI remain concentrated in urban areas.

Another major issue is the lack of technical and ethical understanding among government officials. Many public administrators are not yet equipped with the skills required to use AI responsibly. Ethical and privacy concerns are equally pressing—facial recognition, predictive policing, or data collection without consent could easily be misused if not properly regulated. Over-dependence on automated systems can also erode human judgment, while poor cybersecurity can make systems vulnerable to attacks. Lastly, traditional bureaucratic inertia—slow procedures, rigid hierarchies, and fragmented coordination—often delays meaningful reform.

To make AI work for governance, India needs strong ethical and institutional safeguards. Every AI project must be designed with fairness, transparency, and human oversight in mind. Data protection laws, anonymisation protocols, and clear consent systems should be strictly enforced. Government officials should be trained in AI literacy, ethical use, and data management so they can make informed decisions.

AI systems must be explainable and open to audit, allowing both citizens and regulators to understand how they work. Inclusivity should be a top priority, ensuring rural populations and low-literacy users are not left behind. Independent oversight bodies should monitor AI use in government, and public reporting should be mandatory. Cybersecurity, too, must be strengthened to prevent misuse or manipulation. Most importantly, citizens should be informed about how AI affects them, with clear mechanisms for feedback and redressal.

For policymakers, several concrete steps can help India move forward responsibly. A National AI Governance Authority could oversee ethical standards, audits, and accountability across government departments. A clear roadmap with defined focus areas—such as healthcare, agriculture, education, and urban management—should be created, with measurable targets and deadlines. Expanding Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is essential, ensuring that data, connectivity, and cloud resources are accessible across the country. Building capacity within the government is equally important, through programmes like the Competency Framework for AI Integration under the IndiaAI initiative.

India should also promote homegrown AI models and vernacular tools to make technology accessible to all citizens. Ethical deployment should be mandatory, with impact assessments and transparency dashboards to track outcomes. Pilot projects should be tested and refined before scaling nationally. Finally, collaboration between the public sector, private companies, and academia should be encouraged to foster innovation and research.

Artificial Intelligence has the potential to transform how governance and public administration function in India. It can make the state more efficient, responsive, and citizen-friendly while helping achieve broader development goals. Yet, to truly unlock this potential, India must ensure that AI adoption is ethical, inclusive, and transparent. By learning from global examples, strengthening its digital foundation, and keeping human welfare at the centre, India can turn AI into a tool for good governance—one that not only delivers better services but also builds trust between the state and its citizens.

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