Perspective (graphical)

Sociology

Business

Value (mathematics)

Public value

Administration (probate law)

Knowledge management

Machine learning

Political science

Artificial intelligence

Systematic review

Absorptive capacity

MEDLINE

Transparency (behavior)

Public relations

Computer science

Government Information Quarterly

Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation in public administration is gaining momentum heralded by the hope of smart public services that are personalised, lean, and efficient. However, the use of AI in public administration is riddled with ethical tensions of fairness, transparency, privacy, and human rights. We call these AI tensions. The current literature lacks a contextual and processual understanding of AI adoption and diffusion in public administration to be able to explore such tensions. Previous studies have outlined risks, benefits, and challenges with the use of AI in public administration. However, a large gap remains in understanding AI tensions as they relate to public value creation. Through a systematic literature review grounded in public value management and the resource-based view of the firms, we identify technology-organisational-environmental (TOE) contextual variables and absorptive capacity as factors influencing AI adoption as discussed in the literature. To our knowledge, this is the first paper that outlines distinct AI tensions from an AI implementation and diffusion perspective within public administration. We develop a future research agenda for the full AI innovation lifecycle of adoption, implementation, and diffusion.

AI adoption and diffusion in public administration: A systematic literature review and future research agenda