The future of governance and the use of advanced information technologies

This paper explores the ways in which advanced information technologies could be used to improve governance in the future. In addition to providing an overview of the current uses of information technologies for governance, the paper offers a three-part vision of information technology in which intelligent systems assist decision structuring, evaluation, and understanding; intelligent systems actively assist decision making; and intelligent systems assume formal decision making responsibilities. Basic, intermediate, and full-scale applications are explored for each part of the vision.

► Advanced information technologies can support good governance. ► The technologies can assist decision structuring and making and directly make decisions. ► Most of the envisioned software does not now exist. ► Challenging ethical issue surround the use of advanced information technologies to improve governance.