Citizens around the world are increasingly ready to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) in public services, creating an opportunity for governments to rethink how digital services are delivered. According to Boston Consulting Group‘s (BCG) report, Citizens Are Open to Public AI Services. Governments Must Seize the Opportunity, growing familiarity with AI is strengthening public confidence in its use across government, even as citizens expect digital public services to become more seamless, responsive and intuitive.
Based on BCG‘s 2026 Digital Government Citizen Survey, which surveyed citizens across 44 countries, the report finds that 64% of respondents globally use AI at least weekly, reflecting the adoption of the technology. Citizens are most comfortable with AI supporting routine interactions such as virtual assistance, fraud detection and personalized services, while continuing to favour human oversight for more complex or high-impact decisions. The findings underscore that trust, transparency and accountability will be essential as governments expand the use of AI across public services.
India emerges as a strong-performing market in the survey, reflecting both its digital maturity and growing familiarity with AI. 84% of Indian respondents identify themselves as proficient AI users, more than 20 percentage points above the global average and among the highest across the 44 countries surveyed, highlighting India’s readiness to embrace AI-enabled public services. Digital government adoption has also continued to strengthen, with 51% of citizens using digital government services, ahead of the global average of 38%.
However, the research also points to a widening expectation gap. Despite higher levels of digital adoption, overall satisfaction with digital government services in India has declined by 29 percentage points over the past decade to 56%, now below the global average of 63%. As citizens become more digitally confident, they increasingly expect public services to be simpler, faster and more intuitive. The survey further identifies people’s capability to use AI as the main concern among Indian respondents, underscoring the need to complement technological advancements with investments in AI literacy, citizen capability and responsible implementation.
Mario Gonsalves, India Leader, Public Sector, BCG said, “Around the world, governments are entering a new phase of digital transformation where the focus is shifting from digitizing services to making them more intelligent, responsive and citizen-centric. India’s digital public infrastructure and high levels of AI proficiency provide a strong foundation to lead this transition.
“The next challenge is to scale AI responsibly by redesigning services around citizen needs, strengthening institutional capabilities and ensuring governance frameworks evolve alongside technology. When implemented responsibly, AI has the potential to fundamentally transform how governments deliver services and create value for citizens,” Gonsalves said.
Key Findings from the Report
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Growing openness to AI in public services: Citizens are most comfortable with AI supporting routine government services such as 24/7 assistance, fraud detection and personalized service delivery, while continuing to favour human involvement in complex or high-impact decisions.
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Citizen expectations are evolving: Across markets, expectations for digital government services are rising, with people increasingly comparing public services to the speed, simplicity and user experience offered by private-sector digital platforms.
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Moving at the right pace matters: Governments perceived to be adopting AI at an appropriate pace report significantly higher citizen satisfaction with digital services than those viewed as moving too slowly.
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Trust will determine successful adoption: Citizens place the highest value on visible safeguards, including human review, public reporting on AI performance and independent oversight, to ensure AI is deployed responsibly.
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India is positioned to lead the next phase of digital government: With high levels of AI proficiency, India has a foundation to expand AI-powered public services, provided this is accompanied by investments in citizen capability, trust and responsible implementation.
The report identifies India as a strong market to accelerate AI-enabled public services, given its levels of AI familiarity and digital adoption. As governments look to build the next generation of digital public services, the research highlights that long-term success will depend not only on deploying AI, but also on redesigning services around citizen needs, strengthening digital capability and maintaining public trust.
