Why Agentic AI is a Catalyst for Better Government

Guest post by Paul Turley, ServiceNow, Senior Director Ireland Enterprise Sales 

Artificial intelligence is reshaping every aspect of society, especially citizens’ daily lives. For governments, the arrival of agentic AI is not a replacement for human leadership or democratic processes. Instead, it should be seen as the catalyst to finally deliver on long-standing ambitions for integrated, citizen-first services.

The goal lies in seeing agentic AI not just as an advance in automation but as an enabler of true data integration – the foundation for a joined-up, single-platform government. By connecting siloed systems and allowing data to move securely and intelligently across departments, agentic AI provides the means to turn digital transformation ambitions into tangible outcomes for citizens.

The single platform ambition with stronger platform governance

Most governments still struggle with siloed, outdated systems that frustrate both citizens and the public servants who support them. The result: inefficiency, duplication, and a widening gap between citizen expectations and government capabilities.

Agentic AI changes the equation. These autonomous agents can work across departmental boundaries, connecting fragmented processes and data into seamless services. Instead of citizens repeating the same information across agencies, AI agents can coordinate in the background. Automatically pulling from tax, healthcare, and employment systems to pre-fill applications, agents are resolving queries faster, triggering the right workflows across departments.

This isn’t just about creating a single government platform, it’s about achieving single-platform governance. With all systems aligned through one intelligent, secure platform, governments can better manage transformation, track progress, and ensure every digital investment contributes to a shared outcome.

Why agentic AI matters for government

Despite strong momentum –  90% of public sector organisations worldwide plan to explore, pilot, or implement agentic AI within the next two to three years – progress remains variable. The EU’s AI Continent Action Plan highlights healthcare and public services as priorities, yet adoption lags. Only 13.5% of EU companies are using AI. Governments risk being left behind unless they accelerate integration.

Europe’s governments already spend hundreds of billions annually on IT but much of this investment is tied up in legacy infrastructure. Embedding agentic AI within a single-platform model with ethics and oversight built in from day one can help to unlock new efficiencies and deliver unified citizen experiences at scale.

Part of the reason momentum remains uneven is that there’s still some misunderstanding about the full benefits of scaling. Conversations around agentic AI often miss what truly makes it transformative. In the public sector, three main advantages stand out:

1. Driving efficiency: AI provides real-time visibility into infrastructure, software, and hardware, helping public sector agencies identify inefficiencies, reduce costs, and make smarter policy decisions. For example, public sector organisations in Europe are already using AI insights to cut waste and improve sustainability.
2. Time savings and productivity: According to a report by The Alan Turing Institute, around 40% of public sector time could be supported by AI. Autonomous AI agents can automate administrative tasks, easing pressure on stretched staff, accelerating service delivery, and reducing delays in critical services, directly benefiting citizens.
3. Empowering the workforce: AI streamlines HR processes, supports hybrid work models, and enhances employee experience. This not only improves morale but also strengthens the overall effectiveness of public service delivery. Governments thrive when their employees thrive.

Taken together, these gains illustrate why agentic AI is not simply a tool for cutting costs but a force for reshaping public service.

Integration in action

When governments break down silos, the results speak for themselves. Bordeaux Métropole, for example, has consolidated 1,600 digital services for a population of 850,000 people. By pooling services such as waste, water, sanitation, and transport into a standardised regional information system, the city has created a shared platform that both improves efficiency and simplifies citizen access.

Buoyed by this success, Bordeaux Métropole has gone further linking digital transformation with its ambition to become low carbon by 2050. Through its “Shared Digital Orientations” strategy, it is embedding ESG principles into every digital service, even tracking the carbon footprint of IT budgets to ensure alignment with climate goals. Citizens and employees alike can see the impact of their digital choices, making sustainability a core part of public service delivery.

This combination of platform consolidation and responsible innovation shows what’s possible and other public sector organisations are following similar paths.

• Environmental agencies are combining asset monitoring with transport data to improve waste collection and traffic flow while reducing emissions.
• Healthcare providers are cutting inquiry resolution times, ensuring citizens receive joined-up responses across benefits, housing, and medical services.
• Education departments are using workforce insights from healthcare AI agents to better plan training programs, creating long-term systemic benefits.
• Here in Ireland, the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) has implemented a digital portal where landlords and tenants can apply for and manage dispute cases online from start to finish for faster resolutions.

These are early but powerful signs that the single platform vision is no longer aspirational – it’s becoming operational through data integration powered by agentic AI.

Trust – the non-negotiable

Despite progress, a trust gap remains. Citizens rightfully expect autonomous AI agents in government to be used transparently, fairly, and accountably. The unique challenge is trust: how do we ensure citizens feel comfortable when AI agents make decisions in the background?

This is where ethics becomes central. Governments must show that every deployment of AI agents is guided by principles of fairness, non-discrimination, and accountability. Building trust requires safeguards, open communication, human input, and demonstrable benefits.

One way to close this gap is through frameworks like the European Commission’s AI Code of Practice, which helps governments and providers comply with the AI Act’s requirements on safety, transparency, and intellectual property. Embedding ethical principles into these frameworks ensures AI agents are deployed responsibly, with clear guardrails to protect citizens. In a single-platform model, these safeguards can be applied consistently across every workflow, creating a stronger foundation for responsible AI.

A new era of governance

Agentic AI will define the next decade of public service. But to succeed, governments must:

• Set a clear vision rooted in citizen outcomes.
• Break down silos by unifying data across departments.
• Embed governance and transparency from the outset.

By using agentic AI to power data integration, governments can evolve from fragmented systems to a single, cohesive platform where strategy, data, and technology work together to deliver more connected services.

About Paul Turley, ServiceNow Senior Director, Ireland Enterprise Sales

As leader of ServiceNow’s enterprise sales in Ireland, Paul and his team manage relationships with clients and partners across all industries and sectors on the island of Ireland. Paul has over 25 years of experience working in various large software businesses in Irish and international markets, including Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Micro Focus. After graduating from UCD with a degree in Engineering, Paul started his career working with Enterprise Ireland, helping Irish technology startups build routes to market across Scandinavia.

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