Eligibility Interviewers, Government Programs

In contrast, the most complex tasks remain largely manual. Interviewing recipients, verifying details, and explaining legal rights require human judgment and empathy. Researchers note that AI could someday translate policy rules into code to help with decisions ^[3], but currently many benefit rules aren’t in a format an AI can use ^[3].

Agencies say they still need caseworkers to review and interpret details. One expert even emphasizes that beneficiaries “still want a human face” when dealing with benefits, so in-person support is hard for AI to replace ^[3]. In short, AI tools today assist with routine Q&A, but the heart of eligibility interviewing – judgement calls and personal guidance – stays with people.

On the other hand, there are hurdles. Off-the-shelf AI often needs heavy customization for government work, and bringing legacy computer systems up to date can be expensive. For example, experts warn that policy manuals must be digitized first so AI can read them ^[3] – a big upfront task.

Budget and labor costs also matter: while AI can save money long-term, the initial investment is high. And social or legal concerns slow adoption too. Governments must guard against errors or bias, since denying or delaying a benefit can hurt families, so humans must remain in the loop ^[3].

In practice, officials say AI tools simply take routine questions off their hands but still hand off hard cases to staff ^{[3] [3]}. These checks keep the system fair, even if they mean AI rolls out more slowly.