A study by Poland’s Ministry of Digital Affairs has found that the vast majority of civil servants — around 84 percent — rate their knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) as basic or intermediate, while only 3 percent consider it advanced. Despite this limited expertise, most officials are eager to improve their digital skills and would gladly participate in AI-focused training programs. According to a report by Google Cloud Poland and the Polish Development Fund (PFR), public administration employees view data management, cybersecurity, and legal risk management as the key competencies for their sector in the age of AI.
The ministry’s survey, conducted earlier this year among over 8,000 public officials, shows that 82 percent see the lack of knowledge and skills as a major or very major obstacle to implementing AI in government. Other key barriers include the absence of clear regulations (76 percent), insufficient funding (73 percent), technical limitations (69 percent), and resistance to change (about 66 percent).
Data cited in the report “AI Competence Map in Poland: Needs and Development Directions” further reveal that nearly 60 percent of civil servants describe their knowledge of AI as basic, and only 3 percent as high, while just under 13 percent admit to having no knowledge at all about AI. Only one in five respondents has participated in any AI-related training over the past two years — yet an overwhelming 93 percent express a desire to enhance their competence in using AI in public administration.
“Competency gaps in public administration are mainly in understanding how AI can be used — in which processes it could bring value, what AI tools are available, and how to regulate their use in offices in terms of governance, practical application, legal, and ethical aspects,” said Magda Gajownik de Vries of the Polish Development Fund (PFR) in an interview with Newseria.
“Our results are very similar across other groups — entrepreneurs, SMEs, and large companies. We see that business leaders face the same challenges. Public administration doesn’t yet have access to AI tools or the know-how to use them, but survey responses clearly show strong motivation to adopt AI. This is actually the opposite trend compared to small and medium-sized enterprises.”
The Google Cloud Poland and PFR study also indicates that challenges such as limited access to funding, regulatory uncertainty, and organizational difficulties are common to all surveyed groups — including government bodies, SMEs, large corporations, and start-ups. Public administration, however, faces additional systemic constraints, such as rigid public procurement procedures and inefficient data exchange between institutions.
When asked about the most critical AI-related skills, officials pointed to fundamental knowledge of AI, data management, and cybersecurity, as well as legal risk management and fostering an organizational culture that supports innovation. Among managerial competencies, respondents highlighted the ability to identify potential benefits of AI and build a business case for its implementation. In the legal and ethical domain, the top-rated skill was legal risk management, regarded as a critical competence.
“Local governments should start by analyzing their most repetitive processes — the ones with the highest number of cases and client interactions — that AI could help streamline,” explained Gajownik de Vries. “They should map these processes to identify the key areas for improvement, then regulate the use of AI by defining governance principles: who can access licenses, in which situations AI can be used, and whether citizens should be informed when AI assists in handling correspondence. Only after that should they move on to the technological implementation.”
According to the expert, local officials are keen to use AI tools, and many already do so in their daily work — often via private devices. Establishing clear governance and security standards for AI in public offices, she noted, would enable employees to use authorized tools and secure equipment, helping the public sector embrace digital transformation more effectively and safely.
