From paper forms to AI: 23 years that completely rewired Ireland's Public Services
From Transform Gov - the digital government podcast by Maeve Kneafsey
May 15, 2026 · 34 min · Season 2 · Episode 70
About this episode
This episode explores the 23-year journey of Ireland's public sector from paper forms to AI integration, highlighting key changes and challenges.
What actually happens when a country decides to digitise itself? Not the theory. Not the strategy decks. The real story. Over 23 years, Ireland’s public sector has gone from: • Paper forms, post and phone calls • To online transactions people trust • To fully integrated, citizen-first services • And now… cautiously stepping into AI This episode is a rare step back — a straight, honest look at what changed, what worked, and what didn’t. You’ll hear: • Why early “digital” projects were little more than brochure websites • The moment citizens finally trusted online government services • The internal battles — fiefdoms, silos and systems that wouldn’t talk to each other • How collaboration became the biggest shift of all • Why “citizen-first” wasn’t always the mindset — and how that changed • The truth about AI in government — less hype, more caution And crucially — what all of that means for what comes next. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Host: Maeve Kneafsey
Topics covered
- digital transformation
- public services
- citizen trust
- AI in government
- collaboration
- government services
Keywords
- digital government
- public sector
- online transactions
- citizen-first services
- AI
- collaboration
- trust
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Acast
Places: Ireland
More episodes of Transform Gov - the digital government podcast
- The first COVID dashboard didn't exist... until Ireland had about two weeks to build it. · June 9, 2026 · 35 min
- How Galway digitised 1,000 townlands — and put local heritage on the world map · June 2, 2026 · 34 min
- What if the biggest barrier to suicide prevention is fear? · May 21, 2026 · 27 min
- From 3,000 to 18,000 applications — how the State rebuilt a system under pressure · May 8, 2026 · 41 min
- What judges actually look for — straight from the head judge · April 29, 2026 · 22 min
- Ireland is leaving €8 billion on the table — and this is why · April 24, 2026 · 26 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Transform Gov - the digital government podcast podcast page.