Navigating the integration of ChatGPT in UAE’s government sector: challenges and opportunities

Purpose - This research examines how responsible deployment of ChatGPT in the UAE’s government sector, guided by New Public Management principles, can enhance customer journeys by integrating services across government bodies. Through semi-structured interviews with UAE government officers, the study investigates this approach’s benefits, challenges, and applications for achieving efficient and integrated public service delivery. Design/methodology/approach - This research adopts a qualitative approach, purposive sampling strategy, and semi-structured interviews to explore the subjective viewpoints of 20 high-level UAE government authorities. The thematic analysis uncovers ChatGPT’s benefits, challenges, and applications, aligning with New Public Management principles. Findings - Thematic analysis reveals four themes: Benefits and Applications of ChatGPT, Challenges, Strategies to Overcome Challenges, and Steps for Customer Journey Enhancement through ChatGPT. Research limitations/implications - The analysis is based on participant responses provided during the interviews, which may be subject to biases or incomplete information. Secondly, the study focuses solely on the provided applications and participant responses, limiting the generalizability of the conclusions to other contexts. Practical implications - The implementation of ChatGPT in the government sector has practical implications for transforming its operations and enhancing communication, efficiency, decision-making, and service offerings: citizen engagement, streamlined processes, and informed governance. Originality/value - This study uniquely examines ChatGPT’s role in government, offering insights into communication, efficiency, decision-making, and service offerings. Identifying hurdles enriches understanding of ChatGPT’s practical integration in government.