Going forward

The work on NAV’s prediction model for sickness absence has highlighted a major and important challenge for public authorities seeking to utilise artificial intelligence: The laws that permit the processing of personal information are seldom formulated in a way that permits personal information to be used for machine learning in the development of artificial intelligence.

It is important that legislators facilitate future developments of AI in the public sector within a responsible framework. If NAV is to develop the model further, it will be necessary to have a clear and explicit supplementary legal basis, founded in legislation. A legislative process, with the associated consultations and reports, will help to ensure a democratic foundation for the development and use of artificial intelligence in public administration.

NAV’s systematic work on the development of a model that meets the requirements for fairness and explainability shows that public sector organisations can serve as driving forces for responsible development in the field of AI.