Apolitical develops AI self-assessment tool for public officers in diverse roles
By Si Ying Thian
Designed for a wide range of roles, the AI Readiness Check is complemented by Government AI Campus, which has successfully trained more than 13,000 public servants.
Apolitical, the UK-based social learning network for public servants globally, just launched the AI self-assessment tool for public officers this month. Image: Apolitical
More than 1,500 public servants from over 50 countries have used the AI Readiness Check, a tool that allows public servants to self-assess their artificial intelligence (AI) readiness.
The tool was launched by Apolitical, the UK-based social learning network for public servants globally, earlier this month.
Taking just six minutes to complete, public officers can use the tool to assess their AI skills and learn how to effectively and responsibly use AI in the government.
This tool allows public officers to self-identify themselves either as leaders, implementers, or users of AI.
The assessment then measures their proficiency across four key areas: ethical AI use, AI innovation, operational and decision-making applications, and workforce readiness.
According to Apolitical, the tool is an anonymous self-assessment and public officers are only asked to identify the country where they work “so the questions can be adapted to [the officer’s] national AI readiness context.”
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From assessment to mastery: Government AI Campus
The tool is part of the Government AI Campus, a learning hub that can only be accessed by public officers, and is aimed at helping governments apply and govern AI.
Funded by google.org and the Rockefeller Foundation, the campus has since delivered training to 13,000 public servants during its pilot phase.
The resource hub currently hosts online courses that are free and exclusive to only public officers, articles and reports, as well as a global community forum known as the “AI in government” with over 7,000 members.
High priority, low readiness in AI
Speaking to GovInsider, Apolitical’s Vice President, Government and Public Sector, Chris Ferguson, said that while governments worldwide are prioritising AI adoption and investing in new tools, many public officers are still unsure about how to use them.
Ferguson himself was a former civil servant and one of the original architects of the UK’s Government Digital Service.
A recent poll conducted by Apolitical among 600 public officers found that one in three said they do not feel ready to use AI.
“If public servants don’t feel equipped to make use of AI at work, the investments governments are making will be less impactful and the expected benefits will go unrealised,” he explained.
Early insights gathered from the AI Readiness Check revealed a similar sentiment.
Over 90 per cent of public servants are enthusiastic about AI’s potential in government, but only around half of them have a grasp of the technical fundamentals, according to Apolitical’s Senior Policy Manager, Jesse Samasuwo.
Only 40 per cent have practical skills to use generative AI tools at work, which shows the importance of building the AI capabilities of public servants.