From Robo-debt and Robo-doubt to Robust Democracy: How AI Can Make Government Better

One of the biggest claims made for AI is that it can automate repetitive work, freeing up time to focus on tasks that need human skills. For government that means teachers spending more time with struggling students, doctors and nurses doing less paperwork and providing more care, and public servants solving complex community problems.

This is the kind of AI-enhanced future the South Australian Government's AI Strategy Discussion Paper envisages. But it's a vision that confronts low trust in government and AI.

Research has found that just one in three Australians believe people in government can be trusted. Australians' trust in AI fares little better, with fewer than half believing AI's benefits outweigh its risks. Trust in technology hasn't been helped by the Robodebt scandal, where the focus on efficiency obscured a devastating human cost for some of our most vulnerable citizens. There is also rising concern about the use of algorithmic decision-making for determining aged care support.

That's why the South Australian Government's AI strategy needs mechanisms that not only capture efficiencies but purposefully reinvest them in people-focused services.

Examples are emerging globally that guide how this can be achieved.

A recent ruling by the Supreme Court in Spain found the legitimacy of algorithmic decision-making depends not just on protecting individual rights, but enabling public participation. Citizens must have the ability to understand how algorithms work, scrutinise their operations, and meaningfully contest decisions that affect their lives. This recognition that democratic governance requires genuine participation sets a new standard for how governments deploy AI.

San Francisco's Civic Bridge program taps pro bono tech talent from leading companies worth millions of dollars. Tech companies embed their staff in public sector projects addressing issues such as affordable housing or screening emergency calls, transferring skills and building lasting internal expertise. The companies benefit too, with improved staff job satisfaction and retention.

Through the NHS Productivity Plan the UK government is boosting investment in digital tech and transformation by almost 50%, reinvesting efficiency savings in its 10-year health plan. Among the tech applications being explored is ‘Dora’, an AI assistant that phones patients after cataract surgery to help identify who needs to see a clinician.

These examples demonstrate participatory governance, skillful public service, and directed reinvestment in public services—all core democratic goods. They point to three practical steps South Australia can take:

1. Mandate participatory AI governance—require government agencies to meaningfully engage affected communities in designing AI systems before deployment, including human rights impact assessments and accessible channels for ongoing input.

2. Build comprehensive public sector AI capability—through foundational literacy for all public sector staff, role-specific training, and programs enabling private-to-public sector skills transfer.

3. Establish a Public Sector Innovation Fund—government agencies contribute a portion of efficiency gains to the fund while procurement contracts require tech companies to contribute financially or through embedding specialist staff in public sector projects. The fund improves human contact services, with public reporting showing how AI adoption delivers better outcomes.

Together, these steps help government develop sovereign AI capability, build public trust in government services, and restore a faith in democracy that is fraying at the edges.

The arguments for these steps are set out Dem36's discussion paper on Democracy and AI, and in our submission to the AI strategy consultation process.

For the South Australian Government's vision to become a reality, AI needs to be transformed from a budget line into a tool for democratic governance. The research is clear. The international examples exist. The practical benefits are significant. There's a real opportunity to make AI genuinely serve South Australians.