The public sector may confront major difficulties if the AI (artificial intelligence) skills gap persists, according to recent research from Salesforce.
Three out of five respondents in the public sector identified a lack of AI expertise as their biggest implementation obstacle, according to the study, making this industry one of the most impacted by the slow adoption of the new technology.
Just 28% of IT professionals working in the public sector said they were experts at using generative AI; 32% said they were experts at understanding generative AI’s practical applications, like data analytics.
Public Sector At Risk By AI Skills Shortage
“By investing in new skills like prompt development, public sector leaders can empower their workforce to use AI to increase productivity, build deeper relationships with constituents, and improve the quality of public services,” Casey Coleman, SVP of Global Government Solutions for Salesforce, emphasised the importance of properly training workers on AI.
Salesforce bases its findings on a different Deloitte study that suggests artificial intelligence (AI) could save hundreds of millions of government agencies money and effort. The main obstacle, according to the study, was that 60% of respondents said they lacked the necessary skills to use AI effectively.
The magnitude of the problem is demonstrated by the global average of 46%, even though the same statement was discovered to be the main obstacle in every sector.
On the other hand, when it came to data quality, the public sector was found to be slightly (by 2% points) more prepared to adopt the technology. In contrast to the general consensus, respondents from the public sector expressed significantly less concern about data security.
Budget and efficiency constraints pose a threat to public sector organisations already. According to Salesforce research, investing a little more time in training and development could mitigate these risks and potentially lead to significant improvements.
The greatest advantage for the public sector as well as for all sectors turned out to be the automation of repetitive tasks. The final two benefits, better customer experience and lower risk, were exclusive to the public sector and rounded out the top three.