Adoption of AI, blockchain and other emerging technologies within the European public sector : a public sector Tech Watch report

This report provides an overview and analysis of the adoption status of Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, and other emerging technologies such as Augmented and Virtual reality, Virtual Worlds and Quantum computing, within the European public sector. Conducted under the Public Sector Tech Watch (PSTW) observatory, managed by the Directorate-General for Digital Services (DG DIGIT) and the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission, the study aims to support European policymakers and researchers in steering and studying digital transformation in the European public sector. The analysis is based on a database comprising a total of 1,617 cases (at the time of writing this report) of innovative solutions piloted and implemented across European public administrations. Research findings indicate that emerging technologies are being adopted across both public service delivery and administrative efficiency in various government functions, mainly those regarding general public services, economic affairs, public order and health departments. Moreover, the national and local administrations pilot or implement most cases (80%), and services personalisation, information analysis processes and prediction and planning are the most common applications. Based on these findings, the report provides recommendations to boost the technologies' potential to foster the effective adoption of these technologies by moving a more theoretical view to a more systematic analysis based on empirical evidence.