Ethics of Applying AI Technologies in Public Administration: Analysis of Public Opinion in St. Petersburg

Abstract

Artificial intelligence technologies are increasingly being used to automate administrative processes, process big data, predict socio-economic indicators, and support managerial decision-making in the public administration system. However, with the new opportunities of these technologies, their use in public administration is associated with a number of sociohumanitarian threats in ensuring the rights of citizens and the security of the state, including: blurred responsibilities, lack of transparency in decision-making, data/sampling bias, etc. In addition, given the uniqueness of AI technologies, characterized by imitation of human cognitive functions, their use in public administration leads to a transformation of the model of state-citizen interaction, in which technology becomes the subject of communication on behalf of the state. In this regard, not only the lack of a unified system of ethical regulation of the introduction of AI technologies into the public sphere is particularly acute, but also the ongoing discussion about the very possibility of developing ethical recommendations for public authorities. Considering the institutionalized specifics of the state in ensuring the vital activity of society and the importance of trust in the power of citizens for its effective functioning, the attitude of citizens to the use of AI technologies in the context of ethical regulation is of interest. This is precisely what determines the purpose of the article, which is to characterize the opinion of residents of St. Petersburg on this issue, as one of the leading megacities of the Russian Federation with a high level of digitalization and developed infrastructure, demonstrating the active integration of AI solutions into the provision of public services and administration.