The Virtual Public Servant: Artificial Intelligence and Frontline Work

How citizens encounter public services is being fundamentally reshaped. For more than two decades, governments have redirected citizens away from face-to-face contact and towards contact centres, websites, and other forms of self-service. Now, the rise of artificial intelligence marks a decisive moment in that transformation.

This book offers a clear and critical account of what this shift means for public service. It argues that virtual public agents are not simply technical innovations. ...