Participants estimated they saved up to one hour when summarising information, drafting documents or searching for information, with 40 per cent of them saying they were able to reallocate time to higher-value activities like staff engagement and strategic planning. In addition, 40 per cent of managers perceived uplifts in efficiency and quality in their teams. Government-led organisations elsewhere in the world are using solutions powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service to alleviate the administrative burden on employees. “Many of our partners, such as Axon Enterprise (Axon), Esri and SAS, are embedding capabilities from Azure AI Foundry into their solutions to create new tools and solutions that are transforming how we work,” says Arthur. Axon, for example, has used Azure OpenAI Service to develop Draft One, which automatically transcribes audio from police officers’ body-worn cameras and writes a draft incident report within minutes. The AI model is calibrated to strictly follow the audio to prevent embellishments or speculation, but officers are required to edit text in places and must approve the report to ensure accuracy. According to Axon, most police officers using Draft One have halved the time it takes to write reports, with some agencies recording up to an 67 per cent decrease in time spent on this task. Draft One has also increased job satisfaction and boosted recruitment rates. In addition, in a double-blind study, 24 independent evaluators concluded that reports written with the help of Draft One performed equally well as those written solely by officers in three of five categories, and better in two. “Law enforcement officers in the USA spend up to 40 per cent of their shifts drafting reports, but using AI to automate the administrative aspects of this work frees them up to carry out higherimpact tasks, such as engaging with the public or conducting investigations,” says Arthur. US-based Microsoft partner Geographic Solutions has used Azure OpenAI Service to develop Virtual OneStop (VOS) Sapphire AI, which rapidly generates high-quality job descriptions, customises interview questions based on applicants’ resumes and creates accurate case management notes on prospective candidates. The Georgia Department of Labor adopted VOS Sapphire AI in December 2024 and has since recorded a significant increase in employee productivity and a 65 per cent rise in the number of AI-generated records. Applicants can also use VOS Sapphire AI to write resumes and cover letters tailored to specific job openings within minutes, potentially saving them hours of work. It has produced more than 2,300 new resumes and enhanced 3,100 others since it was rolled out in the State of Texas in April 2025. This has led to a 70 per cent upsurge in the number of resumes being submitted, as well as a 74 per cent increase in the quality of these documents across the two US states. “VOS Sapphire AI is making it easier than ever for labour departments to quickly find the right candidates for the available roles, which is getting people into work more quickly and having a positive socioeconomic impact,” says Arthur. Other government-led organisations are capitalising on Azure OpenAI Service to provide self-service chatbots and virtual assistants that can provide 24/7 help to the public. The City of Burlington in Ontario, Canada, has collaborated with Microsoft partner MNP Digital to develop an assistant that expedites the building permit process to address high housing demand. The MyFiles portal has cut the average time to process permit approvals from 15 weeks to between five and seven weeks, and also enables citizens to easily track the status of their applications. “AI chatbots can answer questions, provide information and guide the public through application forms to ensure they are completed correctly,” says Arthur. “The public no longer need to wait in long phone queues or make in-person appointments to complete tasks like renewing their driving licence or applying for financial aid, which is quicker and more convenient for them. Plus, employees only need to get involved in complex conversations or to review and approve applications, which reduces their workload significantly.” Meanwhile, in Argentina, Buenos Aires City and Pi Data Strategy & Consulting have used Azure OpenAI Service to evolve its existing chatbot, Boti, which manages two million queries per month without human intervention. FEATURE “AI is the technology zeitgeist of our era” 140
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=