In an ever-evolving technology landscape, the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) has become imperative for organisations. The question is no longer whether to adopt the technology, but how to maximise it to enhance operational efficiency and improve customer experience.
In the public sector, however, Adobe’s State of Citizen Experience in the Public Sector in an AI-Driven World report found that globally, only 3% of agencies are currently organised around the citizen journey, even though more recognise this as the ideal model.
“This imbalance sends the wrong message: that citizen relationships are transactional rather than continuous. For a sector built on trust and long-term engagement, ignoring the retention phase risks eroding the very impact digital transformation aims to deliver,” the report noted.
Shashank Sharma, senior director for Digital Experience, Southeast Asia and Korea at Adobe, discussed how AI can be used to improve public sector services and translate into better citizen experiences.
AI should be applied where it meaningfully improves everyday interactions with government. Shashank Sharma
Improving citizen experiences
To improve citizen experiences through AI adoption, Sharma said government organisations must begin by defining clear service outcomes rather than focusing on the technology itself.
“AI should be applied where it meaningfully improves everyday interactions with government—such as reducing processing time, simplifying access to services, or helping citizens find the right information more quickly,” he said.
However, he observed that many public sector organisations are still structured around internal functions rather than citizen journeys. According to Sharma, this fragments data and content across departments, making it harder to deliver consistent experiences.
“To address this, governments need to establish shared data foundations that allow agencies to understand citizen interactions across services,” he said.
Such a foundation, he added, would enable agencies to apply AI to personalise communications, anticipate needs, and guide citizens to the right services more efficiently.
From AI ambition to citizen-facing services
In Singapore’s Budget 2026, AI is positioned as a key component of the country’s economic and digital strategy.
Sharma said government agencies can translate this ambition into tangible public services by taking a practical, implementation-focused approach.
A vital step, he noted, is iterative deployment.
“Instead of rolling out large-scale technology programs at once, agencies can pilot AI solutions within specific services, assess outcomes such as processing efficiency and accessibility, and refine them before expanding across agencies,” he explained.
This, he said, helps ensure AI investments produce measurable improvements in user experience.
He also emphasised the need to build the right capabilities within the public sector.
“Delivering effective AI-driven services requires multidisciplinary teams that combine data science, service design, policy expertise, and operational knowledge,” Sharma said.
Such collaboration helps ensure AI tools align with regulatory requirements and with the way citizens actually interact with government services.
Transparency, security, and accountability
Introducing AI into citizen services must not compromise trust.
According to Adobe’s report, 98% of Public Sector leaders say privacy/data protection is the top citizen expectation, and 96% acknowledge citizens’ demand for transparent access to information.
“As a result, embedding clear privacy safeguards, secure digital workflows, and transparent data practices into digital services is no longer optional,” Sharma said.
He added that governments can build trust by implementing robust AI governance frameworks that prioritise transparency, accountability, and ethical use.
“This includes ensuring AI systems are explainable and auditable so that citizens can understand decisions affecting them, particularly in areas such as public benefits, licensing, or regulatory processes,” he explained.
Sharma also underscored the importance of human oversight, saying AI should augment, not replace, public servants.
For complex and sensitive cases, review and escalation mechanisms must remain in place to ensure accountability.
Hindrances to AI-driven citizen services
Across Southeast Asia and Korea, Sharma said data fragmentation remains the biggest challenge agencies face in implementing AI-driven citizen services.
“Many public sector organisations still operate with legacy infrastructure and siloed datasets,” he said.
He added that digital literacy gaps and uneven access to infrastructure across the region also remain key challenges.
The future of digital government
Together, AI and experience orchestration will help governments deliver services that are not only more efficient, but also more responsive to how citizens actually interact with public services. Shashank Sharma
Over the next five years, Sharma expects AI and experience orchestration to play a pivotal role in transforming digital government.
According to him, AI will shift public services from transactional delivery to truly citizen-centric experiences.
“Together, AI and experience orchestration will help governments deliver services that are not only more efficient, but also more responsive to how citizens actually interact with public services,” Sharma said.
Towards better citizen experiences
At the end of the day, technology adoption is about people.
The same is true for public service, which has always been about serving people and responding to their needs in a timely, accessible, and humane manner.
Consequently, public service is inseparable from public trust.
As governments increasingly adopt AI and other digital tools, the focus must go beyond modernisation for its own sake. Technology should not simply be viewed as a means to automate processes or accelerate workflows, but as an enabler of better, more responsive citizen experiences.
As Brian Chidester, head of Global Strategy and Innovation for Public Sector at Adobe, put it: “In the public sector, digital transformation is no longer simply about modernisation, it’s about efficient and effective mission delivery. As citizen expectations rise, governments are being challenged to provide services that are not only accessible and efficient, but also personalised and predictive. The foundation of public trust is shifting from procedural reliability to digital transparency, inclusion, and contextual relevance.”
