As of 31st March 2022, safer and more efficient services will be delivered for NSW customers and business using artificial intelligence (AI), with a new world-leading NSW Government AI Assurance Framework. To learn more, we sat down (virtually!) with Amber Fletcher, Senior Policy Officer at NSW Department of Customer Service (DCS) to discuss the new Framework and how understand how AI is being used to help improve outcomes for customers across NSW.
Hi Amber, let’s talk AI! What are some of the ways AI is becoming more prevalent in our day-to-day life?
While ‘artificial intelligence’ may bring to mind futuristic visions of ultra-smart robots, AI is already here and exists in many of the most normal, routine areas of our lives. Virtual assistants like SIRI and Alexa are used in many homes, and smart devices including lights, sound systems and doorbells are on the rise. I even recently bought an AI-enabled toothbrush!
AI is also used by businesses to work behind the scenes to bring us improved, safer and more convenient products and services. Airlines use AI to predict when aircraft repairs are needed, and food delivery services are starting to use AI drones to deliver fresh, hot food straight to our doors. While these may seem like small examples, AI offers businesses and governments huge opportunities to improve society and the economy.
NSW Government recognises the benefits that AI can bring to the way we deliver services to the people of NSW, but we also know that it comes with potential risks. Without a human in the loop, AI can magnify human biases and cause unintended harm.
Rather than shy away from these issues and risk missing out on the benefits of AI, NSW Government is taking a careful but optimistic approach to using this technology. Our priority is to put the right safeguards in place so that we can make sure we are using AI in a way that is ethical and responsible.
What are some key projects you are aware of across NSW Government that use AI to help improve outcomes for NSW residents?
In April 2021, the NSW AI Advisory Committee was created to provide expert advice on the use of AI to improve government services. Since then, the Committee has reviewed an exciting range of projects that use AI to improve the lives of NSW residents. Some of my favourite examples that have presented to the Committee are from the Transport and Health departments.
One example is eHealth NSW’s tool to help doctors to identify when patients may be at risk of sepsis, so that they receive early attention. Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's response to infection injures its own tissues and organs. Sepsis can occur in any patient, in any clinical setting and is a medical emergency. Sepsis kills more Australians every year than breast cancer and prostate cancer combined, but it can be difficult to detect because it has doesn’t have many visible symptoms. This tool can help hospital staff keep a closer watch on at-risk patients and potentially save hundreds of lives a year.
Another great example of the potential for AI to save lives is Transport for NSW’s Mobile Phone Detection Camera program. This project uses AI-enabled cameras to detect when drivers are illegally using mobile phones, which causes many fatal crashes in NSW every year. These cameras work in all weather conditions and take photos of every vehicle that passes them. An AI program then analyses these photos to detect when a person may be using their mobile phone illegally and sends them on for human review. Since the initial trial of these cameras in 2019, Transport for NSW have rolled out mobile phone detection cameras across NSW. This has made NSW the first jurisdiction in the world to implement a state-wide mobile phone detection program.
The new NSW AI Framework will take effect from 31st March. How did the Framework change from concept to priority?
During AI Strategy consultation, we heard that it is critical that the NSW public have confidence that AI projects are using data safely, transparently, and fairly.
While DCS already has some fantastic assurance processes in place for ICT projects, these don’t address the unique data issues that come with the use of AI. So we included an action in the AI Strategy to develop an assurance mechanism for AI projects that aligns with our AI principles. Our Chief Data Scientist Ian Oppermann took on this challenge in partnership with the AI Advisory Committee.
Throughout its development, we tested and re-tested the Framework against a wide range of new and ongoing AI projects. By doing this, we were able to find areas for improvement and adjust the Framework to find the right balance between capturing benefits and mitigating risks.
How will the Framework help deliver government services?
The use of AI in government services is still new in NSW. So there hasn’t been much AI-specific guidance available to project teams to help them use AI as effectively. To fill this gap, we designed the Framework to be a helpful tool for teams to manage risks when planning, building, and using these systems.
The Framework contains a series of questions that ask project teams to identify and analyse benefits, risks, and potential harms for their project. The Framework also provides a set of resources on how to manage issues of data, bias, and governance, and links to international standards wherever they exist.
All AI projects are required to use the Framework. Key projects will also need to take their projects to the Committee for further review and endorsement. In practice, this will help agencies to continue delivering modern, customer-centric services, but will also ensure that protections exist to stop unintended harm.
How can people learn more about the new AI Framework?
The AI Assurance Framework was published in December on the Digital.NSW website. The Framework will be mandated at the end of March 2022. Look out on the Digital.NSW website for upcoming articles and media releases about the new Framework.
What are the next steps for AI in government?
The AI Assurance Framework represents a big step in improving the NSW Government’s ability to safely adopt AI for service delivery. The world of AI is always evolving, and we cannot ‘set and forget’ this approach. We know that the Framework must be able to evolve to capture new and future risks and have committed to regularly reviewing the Framework.
Our focus over the next year will be on embedding the Framework in the processes of all NSW Government agencies using AI. We are also exploring the creation of a digital version of the Framework (which will also use AI!). The aim of this tool will be to improve the user experience of the Framework and help us to analyse issues of data quality and data biases.