Artificial Intelligence in Public Administration: A systematic review of Governance, service delivery, ethical issues and research directions

Abstract

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming public administration in many ways, improving government decision making, delivering public services, and assisting in digital transformation. While the amount of research in this field is growing rapidly, the body of knowledge is still fragmented across disciplines, making it difficult to have a full picture of what opportunities, challenges, and implications AI poses for public sector organizations. The study examined peer-reviewed publications from 2019 to 2026 to draw insights from recent research on the use of AI in the public sector. The study employs a systematic literature review with critical thematic synthesis to examine the conceptual foundations of AI, its applications in public administration and public service delivery, governance opportunities, ethical and legal issues, institutional challenges, and emerging research directions in investigating the conceptual basis of AI, applications of AI in public service delivery and administration, opportunities resulting from the application of AI in public service, ethical and governance issues, institutional challenges, and new research directions. The review concludes that AI can enhance the efficiency of administration, evidence-based policy making, resource management, and citizen engagement. But the implementation is only possible with a solution to algorithmic bias, transparency, accountability, privacy, cybersecurity, institutional capacity, and public trust that are prevalent. The analysis also uncovers critical gaps in both the literature and the evidence, such as the lack of empirical studies, lack of representation of developing country contexts, and lack of attention to human–AI collaboration and the effectiveness of governance. The research provides a cohesive framework for the fragmented evidence, highlights important research areas, and offers practical and policy guidance to responsible and appropriate utilization of AI in public administration in the context of digital government. This research offers recommendations to researchers, policy-makers and public managers working to promote trusted, ethical, and citizen-centred AI-driven governance.