Adoption of Artificial Intelligence in Public Administration and Acceptance by Citizens: A Comparison of Croatia and Slovenia

Commissioned by: Ministry of Science, Education and Youth
Project duration: January 7, 2025 - December 31, 2026
Project manager: Zoran Aralica
Collaborators: Croatian reserach team: Jelena Budak, Bruno Škrinjarić / Slovenian research team: Dejan Ravšelj, Matej Babšek, Eva Murko

Summary: 
The development of artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly common across various sectors, including government, business, and public administration. Despite the growing significance of AI in public administration, there is a lack of scientific research that confirms its relevance specifically for Croatia and Slovenia. This gap leads to two primary objectives for the project.
The first objective is to examine the relationship between the adoption of AI in public administration and the perceptions and attitudes of citizens toward the acceptance of AI in both Croatia and Slovenia. The second objective is to foster collaboration among researchers and enhance cooperation in exploring the application of AI in public administration.
To achieve the first objective, the research will analyse the effectiveness of AI adoption using secondary data to assess the AI readiness of public administration in both countries. The research will be conducted at two levels: within public administration and among citizens. For public administration, various indicators from secondary sources, such as the Artificial Intelligence Readiness Index, the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), and the Open Government Data Index, will be evaluated. From the citizen perspective, a primary survey will be conducted to gather insights on their perceptions, experiences, and attitudes regarding the use of AI in Croatia.
 

RESEARCH AREA: Innovation, research and development