Technology and the Public Sector

Traditionally insulated from external trends, the public sector is not immune from this wave of transformative technology. Technology is revolutionising the way lecturers, doctors, lawyers and police officers work. The growth of the Internet has facilitated University’s, moving towards online education delivery models; improvements in computing power is enabling increasingly sophisticated apps.

These trends present big opportunities for how public services are designed and delivered. Technology could for instance help governments to deliver more efficient services, or enable parity of access to expertise throughout society. However, technological advances also pose risks – such data protection concerns or cyber security, as well anticipated impacts on employment rates and the wider economy as public sector jobs become automated.

With input from a range of practitioner, academic and policy contributors, this symposium seeks to inform the debate about the challenges and opportunities facing technology and public service delivery. The first panel will address the impact of automation on public services, with a specific focus on what changes might mean for the current and future workforce. The second panel will consider the role of technology in driving efficient design and delivery of public services.

If you would like to attend please register here.

Key Note Address

Richard and Daniel Susskind – Co-Authors of ‘The Future of the Professions’.

Confirmed Speakers Include:

Sir Michael Barber (Chief Education Advisor to Pearson and the Managing Partner of Delivery Associates)

Mike Dixon (Assistant CEO, Citizens Advice)

Paul Maltby (Director of Data at Government Digital Service, Cabinet Office)

Caroline Daniel (Partner at Brunswick Group; former Editor of the Weekend FT)

Prof. Dr. Kerstin Dautenhahn (Adaptive Systems Research Group, University of Hertfordshire)

Dr. Takanori Shibata (Chief Senior Research Scientist, AIST Japan, inventor of the PARO robot)