{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"ADAPT Insider","title":"How Australian government agencies can get more from AI through smaller bets than big programs","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":2609,"description":"Government is under pressure to do more with less, and AI is now part of that conversation. That does not mean moving fast.\nIn government, the cost of getting AI wrong is higher, which makes caution a strength rather than a weakness.\nIn this ADAPT Insider conversation with Anthony Saba, Managing Director – Transformation Services at ADAPT, David Heacock, ADAPT Executive Advisor, former Chief Digital Innovation Officer and BCG Partner, argues that public sector leaders are right to take a measured approach.\nThe gap between vendor hype and real-world performance is still too wide, and in government that gap can damage trust, disrupt services, and create harm.\n \nKey takeaways:\nMove carefully where the risk of AI failure is high.\nTreat governance and decision-making as the main delivery challenge, not the technology alone.\nBreak large programs into smaller, outcome-driven pieces and build more capability internally.\nGovernment is right to be cautious on AI\nHe argues that AI should be introduced carefully in public sector settings.\nUnlike traditional systems, generative AI is probabilistic, which means it does not always produce the same answer in the same way.\nThat creates a different risk profile, especially in government environments where decisions can affect people’s lives.\nThis is why a slower pace makes sense. Government does not need to lead the market on AI adoption.\nIt needs to understand where the tools are useful, where precision matters, and where experimentation is safe.\nThe bigger problem is organisational friction\n\nHe is clear that technology is no longer the main constraint. The harder problem sits in governance, decision-making, and organisational design.\nFaster tools do not remove those bottlenecks. They hit them sooner.\nHe points to executive choke points, where delivery teams move quickly but decisions still stall further up the chain.\nHe also warns that uncertainty often leads to more governance, more scrutiny, and more delay. In practice, that...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/t0Jtrt9eZN4kwrPnSzLt-aLKB9f-tVVg1JGt9pql9t4/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS84ODM3/NGVhYmU2ZjljNWIx/NTliY2NlMTAzZDRl/NGNmOS5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}