As a new year approaches, these tech advancements are driving government trends

In just about every field, tech advancements are moving forward at a breakneck pace. Governments are at the forefront of this innovation as the funders, testbeds and benefactors of emerging technologies. A new report from Deloitte highlights some of those technologies and the ways they’re driving trends across government.

Now in its 14th year, the report considers the current market and takes “a look at the horizon,” considering where innovation intersects and collides with other technologies, said Scott Buchholz, chief technology officer for Deloitte’s government and technology division. For example, tech advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) have prompted organizations to reconsider their mainframes to make sure they can keep up.

“One of the things we find, invariably, when we look at emerging technology and government,” he continued, is that as “technologies advance,” they “advance a lot of the trends we’re seeing.”

That being said, advancements in local government are sometimes hard to come by. Even if it’s beneficial, technology is difficult to introduce because there’s an expectation that everything implemented should work right away. Innovation doesn’t work like that.

“When you operate in an environment where failure is not permitted, experimentation is not permitted as well,” Buchholz said. “That’s a pity, because in many cases, government can get more value if not more value out of the things we’re seeing than other organizations.”

Given these and other constraints in the public sector, Buchholz said adoption of tech advancements is most often successful at the local level when it’s either championed by a “courageous individual” or “when government is open enough to accept innovation, but bound enough that it’s in a comfort zone.”

To that end, Deloitte’s analysis outlines seven tech-related trends that are hugely influencing local government: Immersive online experiences for constituents and staff alike; being open to AI and automation; advancements in multi-cloud systems; reimagining the workforce through digitization; blockchain; mainframe modernization; and the melding of the physical world with the digital one.

To read the complete article, visit American City & County.