AI ousts cloud as top game-changing tech for government CIOs

Gartner research also indicates cybersecurity will see increased government investment this year

Artificial intelligence (AI) has knocked cloud from pole position as the top "game-changing" tech for government CIOs this year, according to Gartner.

The research firm surveyed more than 3,000 CIOs in 89 countries, including 528 government CIOs across a range of departments.

Nearly a third of government respondents (27 per cent) stated that AI was the most game-changing technology for them, with data analytics in second place (22 per cent) and cloud lagging behind in third (19 per cent).

Cloud topped last year's survey as the game-changing tech for CIOs.

"AI introduces new insights and delivery channels that will enable governments to scale in magnitudes not previously possible," said Rick Howard, VP analyst at Gartner.

"This will allow reallocation of valuable human resources to more complex processes and decisions."

According to the survey, 10 per cent of government respondents have already deployed an AI solution, with 39 per cent stating an intention to deploy it in the next one to two years, and an additional 36 per cent intending to deploy an AI solution within the next two to three years.

"Taking advantage of data is at the heart of digital government - it's the central asset to all that government oversees and provides," said Howard.

"The ability to leverage that data strategically in real time will significantly improve a government's ability to seamlessly deliver services, despite increased strain on finite resources."

Figure 1. Game-changing technologies

Source: Gartner (January 2019)

Cybersecurity tops tech investment

The survey reported that cybersecurity came top in areas of increased technology investment in 2019, with 43 per cent of CIOs stating it was a priority area for them.

It shared the top spot with business intelligence, with cloud services and solutions slipping from last year's number one spot to take second place for tech investment this year.

Howard said that cybersecurity's top billing reflects governments' recognition of the importance of its role as the gatekeeper for public data.

"In today's digital world, cyberattacks are highly visible, increasingly malicious and costly, and they erode the public's trust," he said.

"Government CIOs have steadily increased their prioritisation of cybersecurity over the years and have gained executive commitment to vigilance in ensuring that ever-evolving malicious attacks and threats are mitigated to the greatest extent possible."

Figure 2. Top tech investment in 2019

Source: Gartner (January 2019)

Obstacles for governments

Gartner's survey reports that governments are making deliberate progress towards designing and delivering digital services, bringing it in line with the maturity of other industries.

Its data also indicated that only 17 per cent of government CIOs plan to increase their investment in digital business initiatives, compared with 34 per cent of CIOs in other industries.

Government CIOs see and understand the potential for digital government and its emerging technologies, but 45 per cent reported that they lack the IT and business resources required to execute these initiatives, according to the research house.

"To meet increased demand and evolving expectations of citizens for effective and efficient services, government must continue to enhance its digital maturity," Howard said.

"Government CIOs clearly recognise the potential of digital government and have started developing new digital services, but now need to take digital beyond a vision to execution through digital leadership."