AI: Transforming Government

The “administrative state” is the combination of many agencies and bureaucratic institutions exercising the practical power of government. It is traditionally aligned with the executive branch, and is subject to administrative law. But the administrative state is undergoing significant change in many Western liberal legal systems, due to the rapid uptake of algorithmic tools and decision support systems. For example, the United Kingdom’s Home Office used an automated system to make initial decisions on people’s visa applications, in a process that was later found to introduce racist discrimination. Where will these changes lead us? How does the turn to artificial intelligence (AI) further the aims and activities of the executive branch of government? In what ways does AI introduce tensions and conflicts, and how is it connected with broader transformations—intended and unintended?