Governing generative AI in public administration: Productivity, work redesign and reflective human–AI collaboration

IMPACTThe authors’ findings will be helpful for public managers, policy-makers and practitioners responsible for digital transformation in public services. The study provides empirical evidence on the conditions under which generative AI can successfully contribute to value for money in public administration, while also showing that productivity gains will be limited unless the technology is integrated into work processes, training systems and governance arrangements. The greatest benefits of generative AI arise in text-based, collaborative and document-intensive activities, such as drafting, standardizing, information retrieval and internal communication. However, tasks involving legal judgment, institutional discretion or complex interpretation continue to require strong human oversight. For public managers, the key implication is that generative AI should not be treated as a plug-and-play efficiency tool. Its public value depends on role redesign, human validation, service-quality monitoring, and the development of professional capabilities that allow public employees to question, contextualize and verify AI-generated outputs.