The implementation of AI in public service goes beyond technological complexity and is rather to be sought on legality, ethics… With FARI’s expertise in these domains, this pilot project was launched to help the Brussels Region in co-creating a proposed concrete roadmap for AI development within its administrations.

The goal of this AI Strategy pilot project is to transform the E-Administration approach towards a truly digital administration using data to provide new services to citizens and businesses, and to position the administration as a value creator. Together with the Brussels Government and its administrations, the pilot project will use the Objectives-Goals-Strategies-Measures (OGSM) framework to ultimately define an AI strategy that fits the region’s needs, context, and overall direction.

A series of field works, data collection, and workshops with all stakeholders have been conducted to validate initial research which involved a comprehensive benchmarking of AI Strategies implemented in other Belgian regions, as well as across EU and worldwide. Concretely, it covered varied visions, key topics included in their strategies, and examples of concrete applications. This initial study was then narrowed down to the analysis of documents related to governmental agreements and strategic plans of administrations responsible for core competences of Brussels.

As an output, this Pilot project will provide a vision of AI for the Brussels Region in line with the current political agenda and an overall strategy with a focus on application areas of AI for the Brussels government and its administrations.

The project is also expected to provide guidelines to the use and implementation of AI based on key capabilities required such is data, technical, operational, governance, and ethical aspects. Potential instruments and tools to foster AI development in Brussels may also be developed in the context of this project. The continued use of this tool will maximise prioritising of the initiatives that the region must focus on for long-term, sustainable administrative development using AI as a strategic approach.