Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation of the State: Revolution or Evolution?

On 27 March 2026, the joint Tri-Country Conference of the Swiss Society of Administrative Sciences (SGVW), the Austrian Society of Administrative Sciences (ÖVG) and the German Section of the International Institute for Administrative Sciences (IIAS) and Concluding Conference of the DIGILOG Project was held in Berne in March 2026. The topic of the conference was “Artificial Intelligence and Digital Transformation of the State: Revolution or Evolution?”.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies are profoundly changing the operations of governments, not always in the form of an evolution of existing routines, but rather as an adaptation process under intense political and social pressures. On the one hand, this opens up new possibilities for more efficient administrative processes, better services, and enhanced decision-making. On the other hand, these changes mean a profound reorganization of administrative practice, together with considerable risks. Between the promises of innovation and new dependencies, between technical feasibility and democratic legitimacy, the main question of the conference was: How can the opportunities of digital technologies and AI be harnessed without jeopardizing the trustworthiness, legitimacy, and governability of government action?

Against this backdrop, the conference addressed current developments and perspectives, with a particular focus on the federal levels in Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. In keynote speeches, case studies, and interactive breakout sessions, experts from administration, academia, and politics discussed opportunities, risks, and concrete options for shaping these changes.

The conference was also the concluding conference of the DIGILOG (Digital Transformation at the Local Tier of Government) project where the main results of the project were presented. DIGILOG was an international, interdisciplinary research project on the state of digital transformation at the local tier of government in Europe, running from 2022 to 2026. Researchers from Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften (ZHAW), University of Potsdam, and WU Vienna were collaborating to systematically record the digital transformation process in local governments and analyze its effects. The project was funded by Schweizerischer Nationalfonds (SNF) and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).

In the conference, Renate Meyer held a keynote on what the adoption of artificial intelligence and digitalization tools means for organizations and their members. Tobias Polzer and Jakob Kühler led a breakout session on how to ensure accountability and transparency when implementing and using AI tools.

A review of the joint conference is available here|https://sgvw.ch/rueckblick-zur-dreilaendertagung-2026-der-schweizerischen-gesellschaft-fuer-verwaltungswissenschaften-sgvw-in-zusammenarbeit-mit-dem-forschungsprojekt-digilog/] (in German). For more information on the DIGILOG project, visit this website.