Digitalization of public administration: benefits and risks

The paper is devoted to understanding the advantages and risks of digitalization of public administration. The author elucidates the relationship between digitalization and digital transformation of public administration. The author foretells successful digitalization of traditional means of control and the formation of mixed algorithms for human and machine activities in the field of public administration. The paper considers seven benefits (convenience of management activities; acceleration of management communications; simplification of management procedures; the use of big data; fundamentally new accessibility of public authorities and public services; cost optimization; humanization of public administration) and seven risks (expanding the field for bureaucratic manipulation; excessive proactivity of public structures; doubling the procedures for document processing and, above all, reporting; the increasing reliance of public administration on digital technologies; the growth of cybercrime opportunities, including official cybercrimes; «profanation» or fictitiousness of digitalization of public administration; the possibility of loss of subjectivity of humanity management) digitalization of public administration. The author concluded that digitalization does not overcome the substantive shortcomings of public administration, but only aggravates them, providing unscrupulous administrators with new opportunities for misconduct. It is possible and necessary to develop public administration in traditional ways, combining them with the introduction of digital technologies. At the same time, the transfer of administrative decision-making to artificial intelligence seems to be a dangerous and inhuman scenario. The author highlights the decisive role of a person in public administration. One should not impose excessive expectations on artificial intelligence and digital technologies in general, carry out digitalization for the sake of digitalization without visible benefits for society, and even expose humanity to the risks of unpredictable administrative decisions and their consequences.