Failing Forward
Failure is not an endpoint; it is a critical checkpoint on the path toward more accountable, transparent, and client-centric digital services. As AI systems grow increasingly sophisticated and become more deeply embedded in both our institutions and daily lives, understanding their pitfalls as well as their potential has never been more urgent.
In tandem with widespread societal adoption, AI is also being integrated into public administration to reduce bureaucratic burdens, enhance decision-making, and improve digital service delivery. This year’s country reports will examine what governments around the world are learning from failures in applying AI to public service delivery.
Each participating country will share:
- a real-world failure they have encountered in AI adoption and
- how the lessons learned helped pave the way for subsequent success.
This will be done in the spirit of turning mistakes into learning opportunities, treating failure as data - not defeat, and embracing experimentation with the understanding that not everything in our complex systems will work on the first try. By sharing these candid insights, participating countries will contribute to a global pool of knowledge that will inform more thoughtful, resilient, and client-centric applications of AI in government.
Please prepare a short presentation exploring the questions presented above for the conference. To assist in planning the country report session, kindly send a copy of the presentation to the ICA Secretariat by Tuesday, September 2nd.