Insights
Insights
Essays by Scott Owen on leading public organisations through change, and adopting AI in a way the public can trust.
The most dangerous words in public-sector AI: “let the model decide”
A language model is fluent, confident — and will invent facts and promises when you let it. Why ad-libbing AI is a liability in government.
Why public-sector AI has to be deterministic
The opposite of ad-lib: every load-bearing decision owned by an inspectable rule, not the improvisation of a model. Leave nothing to chance.
The best AI knows when to get out of the way
Live chat and the AI-to-human handoff: good AI is not about removing people — it is about knowing exactly when to bring one in.
Slow AI is failed AI
A voice agent that pauses feels broken and people hang up. Why response time is a feature, not a nicety — and a sign of how it was built.
The AI pricing trap
How the hype is being used to overcharge the public sector — and how a buyer spending public money can tell value from buzz.
AI voice agents are quietly changing how councils answer the phone
After-hours is where most councils quietly fail residents — and where a well-built AI voice agent can do the most good. The hard part isn't the talking; it's everything around it.
What executive leadership in local government really asks of you
Councils are where government meets the footpath. Leading one well is less about authority than about judgement, service and the discipline to keep the community at the centre through change.
Getting AI right in the public sector
AI can lift the quality and reach of public services — but only if governance, accuracy and accountability come before automation. A practical view from building it.
Written by Scott Owen, CEO of Aspire Executive Solutions.