Gabriel Attal delivered a speech after visiting a France Services house in Sceaux on April 23, 2024. Following the eighth interministerial committee on public transformation and a visit to the France Services house, Attal outlined the government’s roadmap for 2024 in terms of public transformation and simplification. He announced the progressive deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) in service of users and public administration, introducing a French AI called Albert. Attal emphasized the importance of choosing and not merely undergoing AI, stating that it will help place human values at the center of public services by freeing up time for agents.
Attal revealed that the tax administration will soon utilize AI to draft responses to the 16 million online requests received annually, which agents will then verify and validate. Additionally, around 4,000 environmental projects submitted to regional environmental departments each year will now be pre-processed by AI, including wind farm projects and urban development plans. This AI will also be used to automate transcriptions of court hearings, filing of complaints, medical reports, fire detection in forests, and human resources management for civil servants. Attal promised that AI will handle repetitive tasks, allowing agents to focus on citizen interaction.
In efforts to simplify life for the French population, Attal announced measures to streamline bureaucracy, including simplifying procedures for parents of scholarship students. From September onwards, the government will use tax data to automatically offer school scholarships to 1.5 million eligible families without the need for any further steps. Starting in September, registration forms for school enrollment will also be pre-filled with known civil status information to save parents time. The government aims to reduce call waiting times for essential operators such as France Travail, CAF, the national police, and the tax administration to 85%, and will automate resource pre-filling for prime activity applications to save user time and prevent errors.
Attal confirmed that online voting proxies, available for the next European elections, will be expanded to other elections as well. He also announced the plan to add 300 more France Services houses by 2026, bringing the total to 3,000 sites across France. The range of services offered at these locations will be expanded to include Urssaf and Agirc-Arrco retirement procedures. Additionally, the government plans to reduce external consultancy expenses by four times within three years. Municipalities will no longer be required to empty their pools annually, and online grant applications will be available with reduced paperwork to simplify processes for elected officials.
Overall, the government aims to leverage AI to enhance public services, simplify bureaucratic processes, and bring essential services closer to communities. The introduction of AI like Albert will automate various administrative tasks, allowing human agents to focus on citizen interaction. Initiatives such as automatically granting scholarships to eligible families, filling out school enrollment forms, and reducing call waiting times demonstrate a commitment to streamlining procedures and improving user experience. By expanding the reach of France Services houses and reducing external consultancy expenses, the government is working towards a more efficient and accessible public administration.
