Sociotechnical and normative support for civil servants’ generative AI use in Finnish municipal technical services

Abstract

IMPACTMunicipal leaders and managers should consider technical, social and normative support elements before expanding generative AI use. Respondents rated task benefits, usable and reliable tools, and clear ethical and information-security guidance most highly. In exploratory item-level comparisons, AI users assigned greater importance than non-users to organizational climate, paid tool access, peer support, leadership commitment, and application usability. Many of these support factors can be addressed through managerial attention at relatively low cost. Organizations could use employee assessments to identify local support gaps. National and inter-municipal bodies can provide sector-specific guidance on accountability and data governance, especially for municipalities with limited resources.