Ethical AI integration in municipal self-service technologies: A case study from UAE public sector transformation

This study focuses on self-service technologies (SST) in the public sector in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), aiming to address ethical concerns arising from the utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) and enrich various facets of SST that have not been addressed previously in the literature. This study examines existing practices for introducing AI in SST in various UAE municipalities, holds discussions with researchers and municipality experts regarding ethical considerations, and identifies gaps, priorities, and recommendations for preventing unethical uses of AI. A qualitative approach is adopted, involving interviews with experts from selected UAE municipalities—Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, and Ajman—as case studies. Although all case studies demonstrated the advantages of utilizing AI for SST in the UAE, the participants recommended addressing ethical concerns regarding AI. The analysis of themes from all cases reveals solutions for preventing AI misuse, such as signing contracts and saving actual data. Moreover, all participants agreed on the importance of having a framework governing the use of AI. This study provides valuable insights into best practices and ethical considerations for adopting AI, delivering safer and more efficient customer services, and implementing guidelines and a unified framework for AI, particularly when managing customer data.