Toward intelligence or ignorance? Performativity and uncertainty in government tech narratives

Emerging technologies are often accompanied by optimistic “tech narratives” that emphasize their potential benefits to society. These narratives appear in various sources, including public policy documents, media coverage, and academic literature. However, identifying their origins and underlying rationale can be challenging. This paper addresses the research question (RQ): How can government tech narratives be traced and unveiled? To answer this question, we draw on the theoretical frameworks of “performativity” and “uncertainty assessment” to develop a two-step approach for investigating tech narratives. We apply this methodology to trace a narrative promoting the benefits of artificial intelligence (AI) in the Swedish public sector back to its source, an emerging government AI policy program. Our analysis reveals a hybridization of economic and political interests, as well as a recognized ignorance reflected in the lack of scrutiny of highly uncertain calculations. By presenting this two-step methodology for tracing and critically examining tech narratives, this paper makes a methodological contribution. In applying this approach, we also provide empirical insights into how tech narratives facilitate the materialization of technological infrastructures. • Emerging technologies are frequently accompanied by optimistic narratives in policy, media, and academic literature. • The origins and underlying rationale of government tech narratives are often difficult to identify. • This paper introduces a methodology for tracing and critically examining government tech narratives. • The methodology is applied to a narrative promoting the large-scale benefits of AI in the Swedish public sector. • The findings reveal that the narrative’s origins rely on highly uncertain assumptions, described as “recognized ignorance.”