Data, Government Innovation, Tech Policy
What would it take to help cities innovate responsibly with AI?
On 25 April I joined representatives from several European cities at a workshop in Helsinki to discuss the thorny issue of artificial intelligence (AI) ethics, hosted by the city’s Chief Digital Officer, Mikko Rusama. In keeping with much recent debate on this topic, our discussion focused on how cities (and particularly their public sector organisations) can […]
An introduction to public sector data analytics
In this video, filmed as part of the Nesta Sparks series, I introduce the core ideas behind public sector data analytics and set out Nesta’s four-step method.
Data, Government Innovation, Tech Policy
Does the public sector really need a code of AI ethics?
Of all the recent new technologies thought to have promise for the public sector, few have captured attention as much as Artificial Intelligence (AI). It’s not hard to see why. AI can do things that public sector organisations really care about and need. Analysing case notes to determine an individual’s future likelihood of needing certain […]
Government Innovation, Idea on a Page
New Operating Models for Local Government – Understanding the Variables
In my last blog, I posted some thoughts and the image below outlining six alternatives to a traditional, top down model of public services. We might call these “new operating models”. In this article, I’d like to dig a little deeper into the idea of new operating models, and discuss how public sector organisations – and […]
Data, Government Innovation, Tech Policy
New technologies require a new mindset. Are public sector leaders ready?
This article first appeared in the The Times Raconteur Public Sector Technology Report. Being a public sector leader has never been an easy brief. But the last decade has surely tested even the toughest in the industry. With spiralling demand for services, rising expectations and significantly diminished budgets, leaders have faced a constant battle to […]
Designing Public Services for Mars
Below is the text of my 2018 talk for FutureFest: Occupy Your Future, which took place on 6-7 July at London’s Tobacco Dock. The talk was designed as a thought experiment to reflect on Nesta’s work on new operating models for public services. Ladies and gents, our time has come! My name is Eddie Copeland, […]
Government Innovation, Idea on a Page
Six alternatives to traditional top down public service delivery
The UK local government sector has faced extraordinary financial challenges in recent years. The pressure to make further budget reductions remains intense. Many councils have made it this far by cutting back on their existing model of public service delivery – in some cases right to the bone. But what do they do when all […]
À quelles problématiques I’innovation doit-elle répondre?
Below is the text of my speech (first in French, then in English) for the INNOVA’TER conference in Paris on 25 September 2018. On m’a demandé de me concentrer sur deux questions aujourd’hui : « Pourquoi I’innovation publique? » et « À quelles problématiques I’innovation doit-elle répondre? » La réponse à la première question est simple […]
Why Governments Struggle to Innovate
“Why can’t governments and public sector organisations just be more like the private sector?” This is a common question in the field of government innovation, and on the face of it it seems reasonable enough. After all, companies adopt new technologies to reshape and upheave entire industries. In recent memory, Amazon reinvented e-commerce; Facebook, the […]
