New Delhi: India and Portugal are examining the use of artificial intelligence to redesign governance processes, with both sides emphasising that technology should simplify procedures before digitising them, a shift from automation-first models to administrative reform driven by efficiency and accessibility.
At a bilateral meeting on the side-lines of the AI summit in the capital, the Prime Minister of Portugal, Luís Montenegro, said his government was already integrating AI across small and medium-sized enterprises and the public administration.
“We want to simplify the governance procedure and then digitise the simple process. Complicated processes cannot be done for now, adding another layer will make them harder,” he observed, underlining a phased approach to digital governance.
Union minister Jitendra Singh highlighted India’s focus on “ease of business and ease of living”, pointing to digital pension certification systems and automated public service processing as examples of evolving governance models.
He stressed that AI adoption would continue with human oversight and that accessibility frameworks were under consideration.
According to him, India’s digital governance tools were increasingly viewed as an internationally recognised model of administrative efficiency.
The discussions reflected a shared approach: using AI not merely for automation, but to reshape how governments make decisions, deliver services and interact with citizens while retaining human accountability.
Calling AI a “booster and accelerator for public decisions”, the Portuguese leader said decisions that earlier took months or years could be significantly shortened through automated document management systems, though “the need for human intervention will always be there”.
He added that three ministries had been restructured to improve administrative efficiency, noting that the objective was not cost reduction but improved public service delivery.
Citizens and companies, he said, must remain at the centre of governance reforms.