Bart Custers: 'Don't assume AI will deliver savings straight away'
In the media
The government wants to use AI to cut costs on civil service staffing. Professor of Law and Data Science Bart Custers spoke to NRC about the AI plans in the 'Miljoenennota' (Budget Memorandum): 'The government should handle decisions about citizens with care.'
The cabinet wants a 'more efficient and effective' government, according to the Miljoenennota. It aims to achieve this by cutting red tape across government, simplifying legislation and making better use of digital resources. This should deliver the Treasury a structural saving of 1.4 billion per year from 2030 onwards. The precise role AI will play in this remains unclear, but the message is clear: AI is expected to boost effectiveness and efficiency, allowing for cuts to civil service staffing.
That premise doesn't quite hold up, says Bart Custers: 'With AI, the costs come before the benefits. You can't assume AI will deliver savings within four years or so. What's actually needed are new civil servants with expertise in AI. That's an investment – a substantial one. And if you get that right, you'll save in the long run.'
Moreover, the government must observe its duty of care when using AI. 'The government is expected to handle decisions about citizens with care. The question is whether AI can guarantee that care,' says the professor. 'AI is a black box: you don't know exactly what it does with the data. And if the government can't explain why it made certain decisions, it isn't transparent or trustworthy.' Custers sees benefits in using AI to simplify legal or policy texts, but warns against large-scale deployment: 'Be careful. Do a risk assessment, and above all, don't assume it will deliver savings straight away.'
Want to know more?
Read the full NRC-article (€, in Dutch)