New Research Reveals Australians, New Zealanders Open to AI-Generated Government Services — with Guardrails and a Human in the Loop

74% of regional respondents also say online government services should be similar — in terms of speed, convenience, ease of access, and personalisation — to the world’s best private sector institutions and global digital leaders

New research launched today reveals a majority (75 per cent) of Australians and New Zealanders (A/NZ) are comfortable with the use of generative AI to power online government services when appropriate human oversight is in place.

The research features in The Trust Imperative 4 (GenAI: The Trust Multiplier for Government), a joint report by Salesforce, the world’s #1 AI CRM, and Boston Consulting Group, which found that while net satisfaction with digital government services has improved, citizens’ expectations for quality remain high.

The research shows that net satisfaction with digital government services has increased in both Australia (up seven percentage points) and New Zealand (up nine percentage points) over the past two years, but that citizens have strong expectations about the service level – with 74 per cent of A/NZ respondents saying online government services quality should be similar to the world’s best private sector institutions or global digital leaders.

However, the research uncovered that 62 per cent of A/NZ respondents experienced issues when using online government services in the past two years. This demonstrates an opportunity for government to use generative AI technologies to make services more accessible, personalised, and efficient while fostering trust.

The report also reveals the tremendous upside of greater citizen understanding of AI. Those with the highest level of AI knowledge are four times more likely than those with a basic understanding of AI to say the benefits of this technology are greater than the risks, and 15 times more likely than those with no knowledge of AI.

Gisele Kapterian, Senior Director, Public Sector Strategy APAC, Salesforce, said, “Governments are looking at GenAI as part of their tool kit to meet productivity demands — and rightly so. Importantly, when the right tools and processes are engaged, this productivity dividend can be trust-enhancing.”

“To do this right,” said Kapterian, “Governments must communicate to users how GenAI will be used, and champion continued human involvement in decision-making. Additionally, the right measures must be in place to keep data safe and protect people’s privacy. This is an excellent opportunity to quickly empower the public service with the right information while delivering a higher-quality output for all stakeholders.”

 By combining the irreplaceable human element with generative AI capabilities, governments can optimise service delivery in a safe and ethical way.

Miguel Carrasco, BCG Global Leader for Digital Government and for BCG X Public Sector

“There remain some concerns regarding the use of AI for online government services, however, what’s clear is the need for humans to be the final decision makers. By combining the irreplaceable human element with generative AI capabilities, governments can optimise service delivery in a safe and ethical way,” Kapterian continued.

BCG Global Leader for Digital Government and for BCG X Public Sector, Miguel Carrasco, said GenAI would lead to significant productivity gains and service improvements, to realise these government needs to establish responsible AI frameworks and focus on building the capabilities necessary to scale.

“Responsible AI frameworks, transparency and human involvement in government service delivery are critical pre-conditions for public trust… government leaders also need to go beyond this to embed a responsible AI culture and to live and breathe responsible AI practices,” Carrasco said.

“Governments should focus on understanding the potential and limitations of GenAI through use cases and pilots and start building the internal capabilities and infrastructure need to scale and support widespread adoption.”

GenAI: The Trust Multiplier for Government is the fourth report in the Trust Imperative series, which explores the relationship between customer experiences when interacting with digital government services, and overall trust and confidence in government of the day.

This year, BCG and Salesforce surveyed more than 4,800 internet users across Australia and New Zealand (A/NZ) and interviewed 18+ global experts to explore the evolution in usage and satisfaction with digital government services and citizens’ attitudes towards government usage of artificial intelligence.

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