The final opponent of artificial intelligence could be the German bureaucracy. Anyone who has ever corresponded with the Citizens’ Office will probably find this plausible, even though it is actually true that an AI can record things on a scale and at a speed that are impossible for humans. However, the Federal Ministry of Finance seems to have its doubts as to whether this will also work with the bureaucracy.
In any case, it calls researchers by tender, to check whether an AI would even be able to untangle German bureaucracy at all its levels. So it could be the end of a beloved spectacle of this republic, in which, before every election, people fervently promise that the regulatory madness will finally be put to a stop. Only to then assert again at the next election that it is now really high time to tackle this problem.
But before the hope becomes too great that this spectacle will soon be his Dernière celebrates, the title of the call for proposals should be remembered. First of all, we only want to check what is actually possible: “Feasibility study on an AI-supported application to identify the simplification potential of regulations” is the title and thus impressively shows that the first potential for simplification lies in the language. If you look closely, this entire tender is actually full of such potential. If you like, you can just have fun Deal with the 16 handy PDFs full of conditions and evaluation criteriawhich the ministry has available for download.
Well, lawyers will object, that’s just the way it is because it has to be that way. But is that true? After all, the tendering system is something that industry associations repeatedly criticize as an example of the complicated rules and procedures in Germany. They complain that the local painting company no longer takes part in tenders when it has to prove with stacks of documents for every public contract that the master painter can actually put woodchip wallpaper on the wall without wrinkles.
Little time for a big task
The task that the Ministry of Finance sets for researchers should therefore not be underestimated. Among other things, they should check whether an AI can record “which regulations apply to specific companies, sectors of the economy or the addressees of the regulations”. That would actually be the mapping of the entire bureaucracy, from the EU level to the rules of professional associations and DIN standards. Especially since many important documents may not be accessible free of charge or even available digitally. In addition, there would also be a legal assessment and suggestions for improvements through the machine.
Anyone who makes it through the tender process will first have to use a lot of human intelligence to think everything through – and as quickly as possible: the ministry is only planning on six months for the entire feasibility study.