The Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs, Éric Caire, believes that artificial intelligence could help the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) achieve its electoral promise to cut 5,000 positions in the public service.
In a press conference on Thursday, Mr. Caire affirmed that it is possible to reduce the size of the State thanks to artificial intelligence without harming the delivery of public services.
Mr. Caire announced pilot projects for the integration of automation and artificial intelligence in public administration. In 2018, the CAQ promised to reduce the number of positions in the public service, an objective which, according to Mr. Caire, has not yet been achieved.
Even if the government is still considering the legislative approach to regulate this sector, Mr. Caire affirmed that these projects can be initiated “without risk”.
These projects currently concern the automation of repetitive tasks in specific sectors, such as the processing of insurance forms for public service employees.
One of these projects aims to develop a conversational agent service which, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI), will be able to respond to requests by email.
This announcement follows the submission, in early February, of a report from the Quebec Innovation Council on artificial intelligence, which contained several recommendations, including the adoption of a framework law for this sector.
On Thursday, Mr. Caire affirmed that artificial intelligence could help reduce the number of state employees without causing job losses. It focuses on retirements and the attrition process in order to achieve this without impacting job security.
According to the minister, the objective of integrating AI into public administration is not primarily to reduce its workforce.
More details will follow.