«Gervasio Para Todo» and the algorithmic public governance

Abstract

Objectives: To analyze the growing integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in public administration and its implications. Methodology: Analysis of national and international doctrinal and regulatory sources, as well as statements from international organizations that have studied the subject. Results: Starting from the advent of advanced general-purpose AI, a synthetic view of the evolution of public administration reform paradigms and the impact of information and communication technologies is provided, demonstrating how ICTs, initially mere tools of little relevance, have become a shaping factor of the governance model itself, which we could call «Algorithmic Public Governance». Conclusions: Advanced AI systems, and specifically generative AI, are poised to transform public administration from the perspective of efficiency and effectiveness, but their implementation poses potential risks such as the opacity in how it predetermines public decision-making, possible discriminatory biases, its potential adverse impact on fundamental human rights and environmental sustainability, as well as great uncertainty about how public law should evolve to address the challenges posed by this new «algorithmic rationality».