Jan Batzner
2025
Oversight Structures for Agentic AI in Public-Sector Organizations
Chris Schmitz
|
Jonathan Rystrøm
|
Jan Batzner
Proceedings of the 1st Workshop for Research on Agent Language Models (REALM 2025)
This paper finds that agentic AI systems intensify existing challenges to traditional public sector oversight mechanisms — which rely on siloed compliance units and episodic approvals rather than continuous, integrated supervision. We identify five governance dimensions essential for responsible agent deployment: cross-departmental implementation, comprehensive evaluation, enhanced security protocols, operational visibility, and systematic auditing. We evaluate the capacity of existing oversight structures to meet these challenges, via a mixed-methods approach consisting of a literature review and interviews with civil servants in AI-related roles. We find that agent oversight poses intensified versions of three existing governance challenges: continuous oversight, deeper integration of governance and operational capabilities, and interdepartmental coordination. We propose approaches that both adapt institutional mechanisms and design agent architectures compatible with public sector constraints.