The Agency for Digital Italy (Agenzia per l’Italia Digitale, AGID) has updated the strategy for public administration digitalisation for 2024-2026. The latest Three-Year Plan for Information Technology in Public Administration, published in early 2024, strengthens the guidelines for interoperability and, for the first time, prepares for the uptake of artificial intelligence.
AgID is responsible for reaching the goals of the Italian digital agenda and coordinates the work among and between the different levels of public administration. The new plan is the main document for setting objectives and guides 23,000 Italian public administration organisations in their digitalisation efforts. It was written in collaboration with public administrations, universities, businesses, and trade associations.
The new triennial informatic plan continues the Italian government’s commitment to open source as one of the guiding principles of procurement and development of digital public services. Together with procurement guidelines, it steers the Italian public administration code reuse, development, and distribution.
Improved interoperability and preparing for AI
Following the European Interoperability Framework, the new version has interoperability as a cross-cutting principle. The interoperability of digital services is enhanced on two levels - by open data and API integrations, and with the country’s open source design system, developed for improving accessibility by default.
For the first time, the document also introduces a plan for artificial intelligence, helping public administrations to adopt AI. With the guide, Italy wants to increase automation to free up resources, improve data-driven decision-making, and provide personalised public services. AGID will publish guidelines for the procurement and development of AI in Italian public services before the end of the year.
"For some of the most cutting-edge administrations, AI is already a reality," said the Director General of AGID, Mario Nobile. “In the new Three-Year Plan, we wanted to build on these experiences, along with directions and best practices to follow."
Aiming to respond to fast-paced technological development, the strategy will be updated yearly, hoping to give means and time for public administrations to adapt to the rapidly evolving digital environment. The first update is due September 2024.
Featured image by Spencer Davis on Unsplash.