This essay highlights the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in governance and society and explores the relationship between AI, discretion, and bureaucracy. AI is an advanced information communication technology tool (ICT) that changes both the nature of human discretion within a bureaucracy and the structure of bureaucracies. To better understand this relationship, AI, discretion, and bureaucracy are explored in some detail. It is argued that discretion and decision-making are strongly influenced by intelligence, and that improvements in intelligence, such as those that can be found within the field of AI, can help improve the overall quality of administration. Furthermore, the characteristics, strengths, and weaknesses of both human discretion and AI are explored. Once these characteristics are laid out, a further exploration of the role AI may play in bureaucracies and bureaucratic structure is presented, followed by a specific focus on systems-level bureaucracies. In addition, it is argued that task distribution and task characteristics play a large role, along with the organizational and legal context, in whether a task favors human discretion or the use of AI. Complexity and uncertainty are presented as the major defining characteristics for categorizing tasks. Finally, a discussion is provided about the important cautions and concerns of utilizing AI in governance, in particular, with respect to existential risk and administrative evil.

Justin B. Bullock

The American Review of Public Administration

The American Review of Public Adminstration (ARPA) aspires to be the premier academic journal in the field of public affairs and public administration. As a peer-reviewed journal with the combined goals of advancing the knowledge of public administration and improving its practice, ARPA features articles that address rapidly emerging issues in public administration and public affairs and is open to both traditional and nontraditional apporaches. ARPA has no methodological bias other than a preference for an analytical approach to the issue(s) being addressed. Of particular interest are theory-based empirical research, commentaries on pressing issues, reviews or syntheses of research, and conceptual/theoretical discussions on or over the boundaries of traditional public administration.

The American Review of Public Administration (ARPA) aims to be the leading academic journal in the field of public affairs and public administration. As a peer-reviewed journal, ARPA seeks to advance the knowledge of public administration and improve its practice. The journal features articles that address rapidly emerging issues in public administration and public affairs, welcoming both traditional and nontraditional approaches. ARPA does not have a methodological bias, other than a preference for an analytical approach to the issues being discussed. Of particular interest are theory-based empirical research, commentaries on pressing issues, reviews or syntheses of research, and conceptual or theoretical discussions that explore the boundaries of traditional public administration.

《美国公共行政评论》(American Review of Public Administration) 旨在成为公共事务和公共行政领域的顶尖学术期刊。作为一本经过同行评审的期刊，ARPA的目标是推动公共行政的知识发展并改善其实践。期刊刊登的文章关注公共行政和公共事务中快速出现的问题，欢迎传统和非传统的方法。ARPA没有特定的方法论偏见，但偏好对所讨论问题的分析性探讨。特别关注基于理论的实证研究、对紧迫问题的评论、研究的综述或综合，以及关于传统公共行政边界的概念性或理论性讨论。

Category	Quartile
管理学	2
管理学, 公共管理	2

Artificial Intelligence, Discretion, and Bureaucracy

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION	2