Your persona
You’re starting out on your exploration of Artificial Intelligence and how it impacts both society at large and your professional practice.
Familiarising yourself with the key uses and concepts will set you up for success as you start to think about how to safely and securely leverage this rapidly developing technology and drive a culture of innovation across your team.
Build your skills and knowledge
Conduct a skills assessment within your team to identify lacking AI-related competencies. Create a skills development plan to bridge these gaps.
Familiarise yourself with existing governance and/or AI-use policies. If these policies don’t exist, could you set up a working group to lead the development of clear policies and procedures for the responsible use of AI within your department?
Join online AI communities and forums, such as AI-related subreddits or LinkedIn groups, to stay updated on AI trends, discussions, and challenges. Study government AI use cases. Set up a project to document how AI is being used in government contexts. This could include a repository of use cases and their impact on public sector operations.
Emphasise human-centred problem-solving, creativity, and critical thinking alongside AI.
Consider the end-user. How might you need to communicate departmental use of AI with the public you serve?
Carve out time for professional development. Diarise a chunk of time each week where you can take an Apolitical course, explore community articles, or anything else that aligns with your motivations.
Attend courses or webinars that provide in-depth knowledge of the legal and regulatory landscape for AI in government.
Create a community of practice
Think carefully about your network or who you work with. Can you identify anyone who might be a source of information or inspiration for further developing your knowledge, skills and abilities in this area? An informal chat about their work could help bring the context to life.
Begin sharing basic AI knowledge within your team and organisation by setting up knowledge-sharing sessions or workshops.
Promote innovation and experimentation: encourage safe experimentation with AI technologies.
Share this assessment with peers. Create a community of practice where you can discuss your outcomes and strategise which priorities might align with ongoing initiatives and objectives.
Why not explore the Apolitical Q&As - questions posed by members of the Apolitical community? Build your network by connecting with others who are starting their exploration into AI. Perhaps you’ve got something to say - either post your own Q&A or consider responding to others, such as: How are public servants and policymakers using (or thinking of using) ChatGPT in their work and managing its risks?
Keep exploring
If you’re looking for inspiration for structured skill development, take a look at our Learning Plans where we have stitched together disparate educational resources into rich, diverse, cohesive and enlightening learning journeys.
Artificial Intelligence is a hot topic on Apolitical. Take some time to search and consider the bigger picture of the role of Artificial Intelligence in government. As someone in a position of leadership and/or people management, it could be helpful to build up a picture of what colleagues across the world are considering as they build up best practices for their teams. Take some time to explore what's out there, and consider engaging with the article creator by using the comment function. A.I.: You know it isn't real, right? brings a no-nonsense viewpoint as it outlines the capabilities of AI. Do you agree with the author’s perspectives?
You might feel ready to dive into a piece of structured learning. Our Fundamentals of AI for Government course could be an excellent place to start.
Apolitical hosts events with thought-leaders discussing a variety of topics — including AI. Keep an eye out for what’s upcoming, and in the meantime, you can catch up on AI-centred recordings from past events, such as: How to use AI tools in your work in government.
What's next?
Not sure if this is the right persona for you? This diagnostic and its suggested outcome have been designed for illustrative purposes and may not reflect your level of awareness or competency.
Find a guide to the statements covered plus the scenario questions here: AI Self-Assessment and Scenario Summaries.
Explore the other personae using the links below:
Leadership:AI Explorer, AI Consolidator, AI Trailblazer
Non-Leadership:AI Explorer, AI Consolidator, AI Trailblazer
⬅️ Government Skills Impact Tracker | Digital and Data Skills Hub ➡️