Toward Trustworthy Artificial Intelligence in Law and Public Administration: Transparency, Accountability and Decision Support
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: : This study investigates how trustworthy artificial intelligence can be operationalised in law and public administration through the interlocking principles of transparency, accountability, and decision support. The central argument is that public-sector AI cannot be treated as a purely technical efficiency instrument. In legal and administrative settings, algorithmic systems affect due process, reasons-giving, procedural fairness, access to services, and the legitimacy of state action. Accordingly, trustworthy deployment depends not only on computational capability but also on the institutional environment within which AI is designed, procured, documented, reviewed, and contested. The analysis therefore integrates doctrinal and policy review with a real-data cross-jurisdictional comparison covering Denmark, Estonia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, Brazil, India, and South Africa. The empirical component combines three publicly available indicators: the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index 2024, the United Nations E-Government Development Index 2024, and the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2024. These real-data sources are used to construct a composite Trustworthy Public AI Index and to estimate exploratory association patterns between AI readiness, digital-government maturity, and rule-of-law performance. The results show that jurisdictions with stronger rule-of-law and digital-government foundations generally exhibit stronger conditions for trustworthy public-sector AI, although high AI readiness alone does not guarantee a proportionate level of legal accountability. The findings support a governance model in which documentation, human oversight, disclosure standards, reviewability, and institutional audit capacity are treated as core design requirements rather than after-the-fact safeguards. Keywords trustworthy artificial intelligence; law; public administration; transparency; accountability; decision support; rule of law; digital government; algorithmic governance; explainability
Author: Murali Krishna Pasupuleti
Institution: National Education Services
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7147106924