TOP TECH TRENDS FOR THE PUBLIC SECTOR IN 2023

Written By : Chet Hayes

As we close the door on another year and step into 2023, we give some thought to what technological advancements and trends will be on the minds of public sector agencies over the next 12 months. From AI and machine learning to cybersecurity and virtual reality, the tech world is constantly evolving and it can be hard to keep up. But fear not! We’re here to give you a sneak peek into what we think will be the top tech trends for the public sector in 2023.

Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI)

If you have not already heard about ChatGPT, which is an acronym for ‘Conversational Heuristic Adaptive Text Generation Platform,’ or other platforms like DALL-E 2 (pronounced “dolly”) which are deep learning-based AI systems capable of generating original images and text based on a given prompt , you most likely will sooner than later.  These are just two examples of the advancements in generative AI with several other programs and solutions in development.

We will see the combination of models to handle diverse media input and output that will make it almost impossible to tell the difference between computer-produced content and human-produced content.  Public sector agencies will be looking to improve customer service and operational efficiency and the application of generative AI will play a big role in those efforts. On the flip side, cyber criminals will leverage this technology to create convincing customized phishing attacks that will be more challenging to recognize.

Data Governance

The Generative AI advancements can’t happen without data.  We will continue to see public sector organizations move to democratize data to make it easier for all stakeholders to work with the data regardless of their technical background.  This will be combined with more efforts around data governance to build trust in the data to improve the value of the insights derived. Without a good data governance strategy, agencies will be vulnerable to data breaches, policy and regulation violations, and poor data quality. This directly impacts the quality of the insights an agency will get from their data and directly affect the quality of any AI models that have been trained.  

As public sector agencies look to make better use of their data, improve efficiency, and enhance security, we will see more use of Data Lakes, Data Fabrics and data-in-motion, as strategies to support their operational goals.

Cybersecurity

Protecting Operational Technology (OT) and Internet of Things (IoT) will get more attention as cyber criminals continue to look for attack vectors into organizations. Enhanced visibility and monitoring and monitoring of OT and IoT systems can help organizations to detect and respond to potential threats in real-time.  However, most OT/IOT systems or cyber-physical systems are incompatible with traditional cybersecurity tools. Organizations will need to invest in technology that is purpose-built to secure all their cyber-physical systems and bridge the gap to traditional cybersecurity operations.

Virtual Reality (VR) / Augmented Reality (AR)

VR and AR hardware continues to improve to provide higher resolution and more immersive experiences. Public sector agencies will continue to expand the use of these technologies to train employees and simulate real-world scenarios in a controlled and safe environment. We will see the development of more ‘digital-twins’ combined with AR to provide technicians with information they would not otherwise see, and then the technicians can enter the VR of a digital twin to simulate a wide variety of situations and issues.

Wrapping it all up

As we wrap up our thoughts on the top tech trends for 2023 in government, it’s clear that there are many exciting opportunities for emerging technology companies to make a big impact. From generative AI to virtual and augmented reality, the public sector is eager to embrace new technologies that can improve efficiency, enhance security, and better serve citizens. And that’s where we come in! Our team is dedicated to helping emerging tech companies get deals done with the government, and we’re always on the lookout for the next big thing. So if you’re a company with a game-changing technology, don’t hesitate to get in touch. We can’t wait to see what the future holds, and we’re ready to help you make your mark on the public sector in 2023 and beyond!