Earning consent

As we automate digital services, we risk losing the legitimacy on which government operates. When a government system (or an AI) cannot explain its constraints, effectively saying, "I cannot do this, and I am forbidden from telling you why," it is inherently autocratic. It demands compliance without earning consent.

Government spends so much time debating the constitutionality of our actions or the correctness of our policies and governance. But legitimacy is won or lost at the point of delivery. If a government cannot justify the friction in our systems to the people experiencing it, we don't have a technology problem. We have a legitimacy crisis, which undermines the nature of government itself.